French President Emmanuel Macron sanctioned the mission earlier this week. The oxygen generator plants will make 8 hospitals autonomous for over a decade. FranceStandsWithIndia, just as India has always stood by France: French Ambassador

France is deploying a massive solidarity mission to support India at the request of French President Emmanuel Macron. The mission will not only provide immediate medical relief but also make eight hospitals in India autonomous for more than a decade.

In the first phase of the mission, a special cargo flight will land in Delhi on the morning of May 2 to deliver 28 tonnes of medical equipment worth more than Rs 17 crore.

This delivery includes eight world-class, high capacity oxygen generator plants manufactured by the French company Novair. These plants produce medical oxygen from ambient air to supply a hospital's oxygen system and/or fill cylinders.

In a tweet on Saturday, France's Ambassador to India, Emmanuel Lenain said, "#FranceStandsWithIndia, just as India has always stood by France."

Five containers of liquid medical oxygen (LMO) are also being sent to India in the first phase of the solidarity mission.

France's Secretary of State in-charge of Tourism, Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne also took to Twitter to thank French companies that came forward to assist India in this time of crisis.

Earlier this week, the French Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying, "Coordinated by the ministry's Crisis and Support Centre and carried out by the Embassy of France in India, the mission will involve shipping by air and sea freight by the end of this week."

A number of European countries, including Germany and France, have come forward to extend support to India as a second wave of Covid infections wreaks havoc in parts of the country. India recorded over 4 lakh new confirmed cases of infection on Saturday, while the country's pandemic-induced death toll now stands at 2,11,853.