Google has been adding features, info cards, and other options to help users tackle the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Now, as India suffers one of the worst COVID-19 waves, the Mountain View giant has announced a new Rs 135 crores funding for the country to help fight the spread of COVID-19.
Google’s COVID-19 Aid for India
The announcement came via an official blog post recently. In the post, Sanjay Gupta, the VP of Google India, writes that the new funding will provide hospitals with the necessary supplies to aid the rising numbers of COVID-19 patients in the country.
Now, if you did not know, India is currently tackling one of the worst waves of COVID-19 with over 2.5 lakh new cases every day. Hospitals and medical centers are struggling to cope up with the rising number of patients. They are running out of necessary supplies such as oxygen, ICU beds, and more. So, all in all, it’s a pretty helpless situation in the country in terms of the ongoing crisis.
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Grants for Non-Profit Organizations
Given the situation, Google has pledged Rs 135 crores (~$18 million) funding for India to help COVID-19 patients. The funding includes two grants from the philanthropic wing of the software giant, Google.org, which brings the total to Rs 20 crores (~2.6 million).
The first of the two grants is given to GiveIndia to provide cash assistance to those families that are hit the hardest by the pandemic. It will help them with everyday expenses. The second grant has gone to UNICEF to provide the necessary medical supplies, including oxygen and testing kits in the country. Moreover, the funding includes Rs 3.7 crores (~$500,000) worth of donations from over 900 Googlers who have contributed to organizations helping high-risk and marginalized communities.
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Increased Ad Grants Support
In addition to these, the funding also includes increased Ad Grant support for public health information campaigns. The company, as we know, has been working with MyGov and the World Health Organization to bring necessary information and facts about the ongoing crisis on its apps and platforms such as Search, Maps, and Assistant.
Now, Google is increasing the support with an additional Rs 112 crores (~$15 million) in Ad Grants for local health authorities and non-profits for more language coverage options.
Apart from these, the company is working to help users through its core information products like Search and Maps, YouTube, and Ads. Furthermore, Google says that it is closely working with organizations such as the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to support vaccine awareness initiatives in India.
