Government announces new emergency package to tackle COVID-19 pandemic

A 100 per cent centrally-funded five-year scheme worth Rs 15,000 crores to strengthen national and state-level health systems was approved on Wednesday as India fights to control the spread of the infectious COVID-19 virus, the government has said. The "COVID-19 Emergency Response and Health System Preparedness Package" will be implemented in three phases - from January 2020 to June 2020, from July 2020 to March 2021 and from April 2021 to March 2024. This fund will be divided among all states and union territories.

"With the objective of emergency COVID-19 response, (a fund has been set up for) strengthening national and state health systems to support prevention and preparedness, procurement of essential medical equipment, consumables and drugs and strengthening of surveillance activities, including setting up laboratories and bio-security preparedness," a circular signed by the Director of the National Health Mission said. Activities listed under the first phase also include disinfection of hospitals and government ambulances, as well as purchase of PPE (personal protection equipment) and N-95 face masks.

The scale of the outbreak, and the speed with which it has spread over the past few weeks, has left several states scrambling for funds to fight the virus. The three-week "total lockdown" imposed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last month - this includes shutting down non-essential industries, commercial establishments and manufacturing centres - has also been testing states' economic resilience. India has reported over 5,700 COVID-19 cases so far, including at least 166 deaths. Maharashtra (1,135 cases, 72 deaths), Tamil Nadu (738 cases, eight deaths) and Delhi (669 cases, nine deaths) are the areas worst-hit, so far. As of Monday cases have been reported from 284 districts across 28 states and union territories.