Government of India has sanctioned ₹15000 crore for India Covid-19 Emergency Response and Health System Preparedness Package. The funds approved will be utilised in two parts — around ₹7774 crore for immediate emergency response and rest for medium-term support (one to four years) to be offered under mission mode approach.
Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi discussed the provision of this fund during his nationwide address on March 24, 2020, highlighting that the “central government has provisioned ₹15000 crore for treating coronavirus patients and strengthening the medical infrastructure of the country.”
The funds will be used for developing diagnostics and Covid-19 dedicated treatment facilities, centralised procurement of essential medical equipment and drugs required for treatment, strengthening and building resilient national and state health systems to support prevention and preparedness for future disease outbreaks, setting up of laboratories, bio-security preparedness, pandemic research and conducting risk communication activities.
These initiatives will be undertaken and allocated to agencies including National Health Mission, Central Procurement, Railways, Department of Health Research/Indian Council of Medical Research, National Centre for Disease Control, under the supervision of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
