While India was able to handle the first wave, a second wave has caused cases to grow exponentially.

More than 350,000 new cases were recorded in a 24-hour period on April 25 while another 2800 people died due to the virus in the same day.

India has now recorded more than 17 million cases with more than 195,000 deaths caused by the pandemic.

Hospitals are overwhelmed and there is a critical shortage of medical oxygen and ventilators across the country.

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In response to India's outbreak, the Australian government committed to providing an emergency response package of oxygen, ventilators and personal protective equipment, but also suspended incoming flights from India until at least May 15.

Ballarat Indian Association president Elangovan Chanmugam said the community was shocked by the ever-rising numbers.

"We were thinking that India was recovering, you hear all the good stories about it and suddenly we hear this devastating news of people caught in a second wave and also that it's been affecting young people too, not only older people," he said.

"It's a different variant now and everybody is very worried about family and concerned about their immediate family members.

"In the whole of Australia, there are 700,000 or 800,000 Indians here, so definitely everybody is connected to a big family in India and everybody is very concerned about it.

"The thing is, earlier India was pretty good. They were doing good and then also we heard that they were sending vaccines to other countries in need... and now things are gone the other way around."

Mr Chanmugam said medical supplies were desperately needed to support India's overwhelmed health system.

"There's a big, urgent shortage of medical supplies and these and we want the Australian government to take an urgent case on this kind of thing and send medical supplies as soon as possible," he said.

"I think the thing is medical supplies or financial help that maybe can help to pay for some of the production of medical supplies in India to ramp up production. It'll be helpful but the thing is it's got to be more targeted to which area it can be helpful."

Ballarat Indian Association member Abhijit Khairnar said oxygen was needed more than any other medical supply.

"The problem at this moment that India is facing is the shortage of oxygen. The lack of oxygen is killing people and that's the thing which is required at this moment," he said.

"The situation exaggerated after this happened. Before, it was supposed to be under control. The first wave, India was very much in control of that but I think the second wave, it's a different mutation, so that has actually affected not only the elderly, which it was doing before, but even the younger got infected rapidly."

Mr Khairnar said he had spoken to friends and family living in India about the situation.

"It's a tough situation and they're a bit stressed, naturally," he said.

"Many relatives also now are affected because of this virus and they're infected so that puts more stress and when this is there, we also are actually very worried and stressed sitting here in Australia thinking about how family is doing because it's a tough situation."

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