Donors line up to support Pakistan's fight against coronavirus.

Byline: Iftikhar A. Khan

ISLAMABAD -- Foreign aid inflow continues to rise as international donors are stepping up to provide emergency lending and financial assistance to Pakistan in its fight against Covid-19.

The World Bank and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) have provided large sums of financial assistance to the country. Various other donors are now also lining up to channel funding against the pandemic.

This funding is being channelled through public sector institutions and donors are showing satisfaction at the fiduciary and transparency safeguards put in place by the government.

The ADB initially contributed $30 million in the Pakistan National EmergAency and Response for Covid-19 project which was worth $50 million and hosted by the National Disaster Risk Management Fund (NDRMF).

This project provided emergency medical equipment to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) within 24 hours and helped procure Covid-19 testing kits and personal protective equipment (PPE).

The ADB has now also agreed to finance the Emergency Assistance for Fighting against Covid-19 Pandemic project worth $105m for the NDRMF. This project will also provide PPE and other necessary equipment in the fight against Covid-19.

The Norwegian government is also contributing to this project, showing a vast array of donors lining up to finance Pakistan's anti-Covid-19 efforts.

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