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'Our hearts go out...': Google CEO Sundar Pichai announces ₹113 crore Covid grant for India
Google will support procurement and installation of approximately 80 oxygen generation plants in healthcare facilities in high-need and rural locations.
Google’s philanthropic arm will provide an additional ₹113 crore in grants to build oxygen generation plants and train healthcare workers in rural India, the company’s chief executive Sundar Pichai announced on Thursday. Google’s fresh grants totalling ₹113 crore is on top of the ₹135 Crore announced in April aimed at expanding the reach of public health information campaigns and supporting emergency relief work. The second wave of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic overwhelmed India’s health infrastructure that witnessed massive oxygen shortage.
“Our hearts go out to those in India impacted by the ongoing C[ovid]-19 crisis, and we continue to look for ways to help,” tweeted Pichai.
Google will support procurement and installation of approximately 80 oxygen generation plants in healthcare facilities in high-need and rural locations with new grants to two non-profits - GiveIndia and PATH. In a blog post, Sanjay Gupta, country head and vice president for Google India, said that the tech giant is turning its focus to help strengthen India’s healthcare infrastructure and workforce, especially in rural areas.
“The two organizations will work together to oversee the oxygen program, providing project management support,” Gupta wrote.
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India has been witnessing a decline in daily Covid-19 cases after various state governments imposed lockdown-like restrictions to contain the spread. It remains the second worst-hit country in terms of overall Covid cases to date, and the third worst-hit in terms of related deaths. Experts have warned that the next Covid wave could devastate India’s rural areas owing to comparatively fewer vaccinations than urban areas.
“Today, as India slowly emerges from the crisis of the past few months, we are turning our focus to helping strengthen India’s healthcare infrastructure and workforce — especially in rural areas,” Gupta added.
