New Delhi (NVI): The US government, through its aid agency USAID, has announced an additional grant of USD 3 million to help India combat COVID-19 pandemic.
The US Agency for International Development (USAID) is one of the leading aid agencies globally.
This grant by USAID is in addition to the earlier aid announced on April 6 of USD 2.9 million to help India fight the spread of COVID-19.
US Ambassador to India, Kenneth Juster, stated, “This funding will support India in its continuing efforts to combat COVID-19, and is yet another example of the strong and enduring partnership between the United States and India.”
The USAID is providing these funds to the Partnerships for Affordable Healthcare Access and Longevity (PAHAL) project, an innovative financing platform, the release said.
USAID has provided a total of USD 5.9 million till date to assist India in responding to the COVID-19 outbreak. This assistance will enable India to curb the spread of COVID-19, provide care for the affected, disseminate essential public health messages to communities, and strengthen case finding and surveillance.
“Through this PAHAL project, USAID will support the National Health Authority (NHA) to establish a financial facility that can mobilize resources from the private sector to assist over 20,000 health facilities enrolled under Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY), scheme for 500 million poor and vulnerable people” release added.
For decades, the United States has been the world’s largest provider of bilateral assistance in public health.
In India, the US Government, through USAID, has provided in total nearly USD 2.8 billion assistance, which includes more than USD 1.4 billion in health assistance, which the US has provided to India over the last 20 years.
United States has called on other donors to contribute to the global effort to combat COVID-19.
