Union Govt. releases Rs. 890 Cr as II installment of COVID-19 Financial Package to 22 States/UTs

Union Govt. releases Rs. 890 Cr as II installment of COVID-19 Financial Package to 22 States/UTs

New Delhi: The Central Government on Thursday released Rs 890.32 crore towards the second instalment of the COVID-19 Emergency Response and Health System Preparedness Package to 22 states including Odisha and Union territories.

Union minister Pratap Sarangi in a series of tweets said the fund will be used for strengthening the health infrastructure for testing, procurement and installation of RT-PCR machines, RNA extraction kits, TRUNAT and CBNAAT machines and BSL-II cabinets.

Besides, it can be used for engagement, training and capacity building of human resources and incentives to healthcare workers and volunteers, including ASHAs, on COVID duties. The aid has been released on the basis of the COVID-19 caseload.

The states which were given financial assistance include Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Sikkim.