Google To Contribute Rs 135 Crore For COVID-19 Fight In India: CEO Sundar Pichai

New Delhi: Amid an unprecedented surge in COVID-19 cases in India, Google will be providing funding of Rs 135 crore for medical supplies and to help communities in general, informed CEO Sundar Pichai on Monday (April 26). CEO of Google and Alphabet, Mr Pichai tweeted, “Devastated to see the worsening Covid crisis in India. Google & Googlers are providing Rs 135 Crore in funding to @GiveIndia, @UNICEF for medical supplies, orgs supporting high-risk communities, and grants to help spread critical information.”

Also Read: World Immunisation Week: Google Doodle Says Thank You To Public Health Workers And Researchers Amid Covid-19 Crisis

India reported 3.52 lakh fresh coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours. This is the highest single-day spike registered since the onset of the pandemic. Mr Pichai’s tweet also had a link to a blog where Google detailed ways to help in with their efforts to fight the worsening situation. On the blog, Sanjay Gupta, country head and VP, Google India wrote,

Today we’re announcing Rs 135 crore (USD 18 million) in new funding for India. This includes two grants from Google.org, Google’s philanthropic arm, totalling Rs 20 crore (USD 2.6 million). The first is to GiveIndia to provide cash assistance to families hit hardest by the crisis to help with their everyday expenses. The second will go to UNICEF to help get urgent medical supplies, including oxygen and testing equipment, to where it’s needed most in India. It also includes donations from our ongoing employee giving campaign — so far more than 900 Googlers have contributed Rs 3.7 Crore (USD 500,000) for organizations supporting high-risk and marginalized communities.

Also Read: COVID-19 Emergency: Madhuri Dixit, Bhumi Pednekar And Gul Panag Urge People To Stay At Home & Mask Up

Moreover, Mr Gupta also informed about Ad Grant support for public health information campaigns.

This funding also includes increased Ad Grant support for public health information campaigns. Since last year, we’ve helped MyGov and the World Health Organization reach audiences with messages focused on how to stay safe and facts about vaccines. We’re increasing our support today with an additional Rs 112 Crore (USD 15 million) in Ad Grants to local health authorities and non-profits for more language coverage options, said Mr Gupta.

Also Read: India Can Bring Down Positivity Rate To Less Than 5 Per Cent In Next 3 Weeks, Says AIIMS Doctor

“Google is already helping India with its core information products like Search and Maps, YouTube and Ads. COVID features on Search are available in India, in English and eight Indian languages, that continue to improve localization and highlight authoritative information. This includes information on where to get testing and vaccines. Maps and Search surface thousands of vaccine sites. Google is also collaborating closely with the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, and with organizations like the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, to support vaccine awareness initiatives,” he added.

On YouTube, Google is supporting the Indian government in their vaccine communication strategy. It ran a workshop for 200+ health officials to learn how they can use YouTube to reach audiences across Indian languages with vaccine information.

Also Read: Prime Minister Narendra Modi Speaks To COVID-19 Frontline Warriors On ‘Mann Ki Baat’

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

NDTV – Dettol Banega Swasth India campaign is an extension of the five-year-old Banega Swachh India initiative helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan. It aims to spread awareness about critical health issues facing the country. In wake of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign highlights the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children to prevent maternal and child mortality, fight malnutrition, stunting, wasting, anaemia and disease prevention through vaccines. Importance of programmes like Public Distribution System (PDS), Mid-day Meal Scheme, POSHAN Abhiyan and the role of Aganwadis and ASHA workers are also covered. Only a Swachh or clean India where toilets are used and open defecation free (ODF) status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and become a Swasth or healthy India. The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene.