Table of Contents
- Recently, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) has approved US$ 500 million for ‘Covid-19 Emergency Response and Health Systems Preparedness Project’ initiated by India.
- The project is expected to help India to respond to the Covid-19 pandemic and strengthen its public health preparedness.
Aim
- To slow down and limit the spread of Covid-19 in India.
- Includes an immediate support for enhancement of disease detection capacities, oxygen delivery systems and medicines among others.
- To develop capacity and systems to detect existing and emerging zoonoses and upgrade viral research and diagnostic laboratories for testing and research.
- As around 75% of new infectious diseases begin with human-to-animal contacts.
- To strengthen India’s Integrated Disease Surveillance Program (IDSP) and the capacity to effectively manage future disease outbreaks.
- IDSP aims to strengthen/maintain decentralized laboratory based and IT enabled disease surveillance systems for epidemic prone diseases to monitor disease trends.
Beneficiaries
- The project will cover all States and Union Territories across India
- Address the needs of infected people, at-risk populations, medical and emergency personnel and service providers, medical and testing facilities, and national and animal health agencies.
Finances
- Financed by the World Bank and AIIB in the amount of $1.5 billion, of which $1.0 billion will be provided by the World Bank and $500 million will be provided by AIIB.
Implementation
- Implemented by the National Health Mission (NHM), the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).
- NHM was launched by the government of India in 2013 subsuming the National Rural Health Mission and the National Urban Health Mission.
- NCDC functions as the nodal agency in the country for disease surveillance facilitating prevention and control of communicable diseases under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
- ICMR is the apex body in India for the formulation, coordination and promotion of biomedical research.
Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank
- Multilateral development bank
- Mission: to improve social and economic outcomes in Asia.
- Established by the AIIB Articles of Agreement (entered into force Dec. 25, 2015) which is a multilateral treaty.
- The Parties (57 founding members) to agreement comprise the Membership of the Bank.
- Headquartered in Beijing
- Began its operations in January 2016.
- India joined AIIB in 2016 as a regional member of the Bank.
- The members of the Bank have now grown to 102 approved members worldwide.
- Fourteen of the G-20 nations are AIIB members including France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom.
- By investing in sustainable infrastructure and other productive sectors in Asia and beyond, it connects people, services and markets that over time will impact the lives of billions and build a better future.
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