Google India announces Rs 109 crore grant to set up oxygen plants, help nation fight COVID pandemic
By Team Newsable | First Published Jun 17, 2021, 1:04 PM ISTGoogle India has announced a $15.5 million grant to set up 80 Oxygen Generation Plants and train healthcare workers in rural India.
Google has announced that the company will support procurement and installation of approximately 80 oxygen generation plants in healthcare facilities in “high-need and rural" locations with new grants totalling roughly $15.5 million (Rs 112.6 crore).
Taking to Twitter, Google CEO Sundar Pichai said: "Our hearts go out to those in India impacted by the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, and we continue to look for ways to help. Today @Googleorg will provide an additional $15.5 million to build oxygen generation plants and train healthcare workers in rural India."
Our hearts go out to those in India impacted by the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, and we continue to look for ways to help. Today will provide an additional $15.5 million to build oxygen generation plants and train healthcare workers in rural India. https://t.co/OzoKFe1n1c
— Sundar Pichai (@sundarpichai)Latest Videos
"Google.org will support procurement and installation of approximately 80 oxygen generation plants in healthcare facilities in high-need and rural locations with new grants totalling approximately $15 million (₹109 crore) to GiveIndia and PATH. The two organizations will work together to oversee the oxygen program, providing project management support. PATH will identify the target locations and provide technical assistance, work with state governments and other authorities, and complete the installation of the plants," the company said in a blog.
In response to Covid-19 in the country, Google is working with NGOs like GiveIndia, PATH, Apollo Medskills, and ARMMAN to set up oxygen generation plants and expanding the health workforce.
Google.org will support procurement and installation of about 80 oxygen generation plants in healthcare facilities in high-need and rural locations with new grants of about Rs 90 crore (USD 12.5 million) to GiveIndia and about Rs 18.5 crore (USD 2.5 million) to PATH.
It will also finance efforts of Apollo Medskills to help upskill 20,000 frontline health workers through specialised training in Covid-19 management and strengthen the stressed rural health workforce and rural health systems.
Google will also provide a $500,000 (Rs 3.6 Crore) grant to ARMMAN to run skilling programmes for 180,000 Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) and 40,000 Auxiliary Nurse Midwives (ANMs) in 15 Indian states. The NGO will further set up a call centre to provide additional help and advice for ASHAs and ANMs where required.
In the last few months, several other tech giants offered aid to help India battle the Covid-19 crisis. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella had said that the company would use its voice, resources, and technology to aid relief efforts, and support the purchase of critical oxygen concentration devices. Amazon last month partnered with global sellers to bring 9,000 oxygen concentrators to India.
Meanwhile, a single day rise of 67,208 new coronavirus infections were recorded taking India's total tally of Covid-19 cases to 2,97,00,313, while the active cases declined to 8,26,740, the lowest after 71 days, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Thursday.
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