Times Of Swaziland: GOOD NEWS FOR EMASWATI FROM INDIA

GOOD NEWS FOR EMASWATI FROM INDIA
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Sibusiso Zwane on 25/08/2023 07:09:00


LOZITHA - The Indian High Commissioner to the Kingdom of Eswatini, Ram Prasad,
delivered good news to the King as he was presenting his letter of credence.
Prasad, together with the Ambassador of Japan to the Kingdom of Eswatini, Ushio
Shigeru, presented their letters of credence to His Majesty King Mswati III at
Lozitha Palace yesterday afternoon. The Indian high commissioner said since his
arrival in the country, he had taken up an offer of Jaipur Foot Camp, under
which his government was ready to provide limbs to more than 500 differently
abled emaSwati. He said they were already working with the Ministry of Health to
expeditiously organise this camp, which would change lives of differently-abled
emaSwati for the better.
Development
Again, he said as a key development partner, they had offered generic drugs with
World Health Organisation (WHO)-prescribed standards at nominal prices under the
Pradhan Mantri Bharatiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP). “I am sure that the
implementation of this offer in Eswatini will alleviate the scarcity of basic
medicines in the kingdom and provide affordable healthcare to all in the
country,” the high commissioner said. It is worth noting that the country’s
health sector has been short of basic medical drugs for a while now.
In that regard, the King said the support which the country had been getting
from India had touched lives of many emaSwati. He said as they would be
exploring new areas of cooperation, he knew that India had good pharmaceutical
companies. He said this was evident as India helped the country during the
outbreak of COVID-19 by donating remedies that helped emaSwati. Therefore, he
said if India could bring some of its pharmaceutical companies and others from
other sectors, into the country, it could be of great help to the nation.  On
another note, the high commissioner said during the State visit of their
president in April 2018, India gave a cash grant of US$1 million (about E19
million) to the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA); in-kind donation of
700 tonnes of rice and 300 tonnes of beans for the agency, medicines and medical
equipment worth US$3 million (about E37 milion).
He added that the Maphalaleni/Lubuyane irrigation infrastructure project in the
Hhohho Region, which the president announced during the visit, was implemented
with the grant assistance of US$400 000 (about E7.6 million).  He said this had
resulted in transforming lives of local farmers from subsistence to commercial
farming. “India was the first country to have donated 20 000 COVID-19 vaccines
to Eswatini in March 2021, when most of the developed world was hoarding it
(vaccines),” the high commissioner said.
Among other successes, he said the completion of an Agriculture Development and
Mechanisation Project under a Line of Credit of US$37.9 million (about E720
million) resulted in maize productivity in Eswatini increasing by six times. He
added that the completion of the Royal Science and Technology Park (RSTP), with
the Line of Credit of US$20 million (about E380 million), opened vistas for
emaSwati into Information and Communication Technology (ICT).