The Government of India has sent 58 tonnes of emergency humanitarian aid to the people affected by Beirut Explosion in Lebanon. This includes Personal Protective Equipment, surgical gowns, surgical gloves as well.
Highlights
India dispatched the aid through C-17 heavy lift aircrafts. It included wheat flour, pulses, sugar, blankets, sleeping mats, dignity kits, medical supplies, etc.
Beirut Explosion
On August 4, 2020, 3,000 tonnes of stored Ammonium Nitrate exploded killing 170 people and injuring 6,000. According to the World Bank, around 5,000 residentials were damaged due to the blast and has estimated the total damage to be 10-15 billion USD.
Lebanon PM resigned
Following the explosion, there were outrageous protests in the country due to which the Lebanese PM Hassan Diab resigned. Lebanon has a power-sharing government structure. The power-sharing is based on religion. This includes three major religions namely Sunni Muslim, Christian and Shiite Muslim.
Recent Protests in Lebanon
The 2019-20 protests of Lebanon are locally known as October Revolution. The protests were due to imposition of taxes on tobacco, gasoline and VOIP calls on applications such as WhatsApp. Also, the protests condemned sectarian rule, unemployment and stagnant economy. The unemployment in the country reached to 46%.
The 2019-20 protests of Lebanon also condemned the failure of the Government to provide basic services such as water, electricity and sanitation.
The protests also condemned the designation of Hassan Diab as the PM. He was appointed with the support of Hezbollah and the Free Patriotic Movement in the country.
International Help
The United Nations World Food Programme has promised to provide 50,000 tonnes of wheat flour to Lebanon. The world leaders have pledged more than 300 million USD support for the Lebanese people.
Lebanon is the third most indebted country in the world following Japan and Greece. It is under talks with the International Monetary Fund to receive loan of 10 billion USD to rescue its economy.
India is the 21st most indebted country in the world.