india

Updated: Apr 30, 2020 17:53 IST

Germany announced on Thursday that it will provide grants worth 20 million euros to support India’s efforts to prevent and control the spread of Covid-19.

The provision of the grants had figured in a telephone conversation between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and German Chancellor Angela Merkel on April 2.

A statement from the German embassy’s spokesperson said Germany is also ready to offer loans on favourable terms that could be used for the social protection response of the Indian government.

The statement said grants worth 5 million euros will be implemented through the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and will include equipping hospitals with medical equipment and materials and building enhanced Sars-CoV-2 test capacities in private laboratories.

These grants will also be used in training nursing staff and creating infrastructure to meet challenges for the health sector.

The KfW, a German state-owned development bank, is preparing a grant of 15 million euros for procuring urgently needed medical equipment that will be implemented along with Unicef.

This could include the procurement of equipment such as personal protective equipment (PPE) and respirators, which are required in large numbers.

“The specific financing items are currently being specified in consultation with the Indian ministry of health and tailored to the specific needs of the Indian government,” the statement said.