India-Israel COVID-19 cooperation: Rajnath speaks to defence minister Benny Gantz

As Israel and India look to cooperate in various fields, India's defence minister Rajnath Singh and held a telephonic chat with his Israeli counterpartBenny Gantzon Friday.

"We discussed the prevailing coronavirus situation and how we can fight against this menace through mutual cooperation," defence minister Rajnath Singh informed. The two leaders also reviewed progress on defence cooperation between the two countries.

On Thursday, Israel had said it was sending a "high-level research delegation" to India to conduct "final stages of testing" to jointly develop rapid testing kits for COVID-19. The new kits can reportedly detect the virus in the body in 30 seconds.

Israel is seeking to take advantage of India's mass production capability. India's Directorate of Defence Research and Development (DDR&D) along with Defence Research and Development Organisation(DRDO) have been working on the sophisticated coronavirus kit.

The DDR&D team in India will conduct the "final stages of testing" in the country divided into four types - isothermal test, polyamino acids test, breathalyzer test and voice test.

The two countries will take the help of artificial intelligence to develop the kit which will be validated through using PCR tests.

The Israeli delegation arriving in India to conduct the test will also be getting mechanical ventilators with special permission from the government of Israel for export to India.