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New Delhi : The United States government, through its Agency for International Development (USAID), has announced an additional assistance of $3 million to India to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

In coordination with the Government of India, USAID is providing these funds to the Partnerships for Affordable Healthcare Access and Longevity (PAHAL) project, an innovative financing platform of IPE Global.

Through the PAHAL project, USAID will support the National Health Authority to establish a financing facility that can mobilise resources from the private sector to assist over 20,000 health facilities enrolled under Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY), India's health insurance scheme for 500 million poor and vulnerable people, according to a statement.

"...The US government through USAID announced an additional $3 million to India to mitigate the spread of COVID-19," it said.

The release quoted US Ambassador to India Kenneth Juster stating that "this additional funding to support India in its continuing efforts to combat COVID-19 is yet another example of the strong and enduring partnership between the United States and India."

To date, USAID has provided $5.9 million to assist India in responding to the COVID-19 outbreak.

This assistance will help India slow the spread of COVID-19, provide care for the affected, disseminate essential public health messages to communities, and strengthen case finding and surveillance, as per the statement.