Govt clears documents to avail $305m loan from ADB.

Byline: Khaleeq Kiani

ISLAMABAD -- The government on Tuesday cleared documents to avail a $305 million loan from the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

The amount will be used for providing relief to the vulnerable segments of society through the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) and necessary medical equipment to hospitals through the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).

A meeting of the Concept Clearance Committee led by Planning Commission deputy chairman Mohammad Jahanzeb Khan approved the $305m financing plan being offered by the ADB in its efforts to support the Covid-19 emergency relief services under the 'Emergency Assistance for Fighting against Covid-19 Pandemic'.

An ADB delegation led by Country Director Xiaohong Yang also attended the meeting. Under the plan, the ADB will provide $200m for social protection for the poor and vulnerable and $105m for public health emergency preparedness.

Amount will be used for providing relief to coronavirus-hit people, equipment to hospitals

The proposal will also focus on stockpiling of stores and health inventories for any unexpected surge in Covid-19 cases and to sustain provision of personal protective equipment (PPE) and medical supplies throughout the coronavirus pandemic.

The proposal also envisages upgrade of the existing facilities or adding additional space within the existing facilities, training of health staff, strengthening of the health management systems, including inventory control, disease surveillance, and standard protocols, as well as provision of water and sanitation facilities and improvement of hygiene at public places.

The loan targets to deliver first batch of supplies or construct first batch of assets by September 2020 and release additional emergency cash transfers to eligible BISP beneficiaries by June 2020 and for the July-October period by December 2020. This loan is part of the $588m loans approved by the World Bank and the ADB as part of the National Emergency Preparedness Response Plan for...

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