Round 2 for Surface Coal, Lignite Gasification Projects concludes with 2 Applications from NTPC (See 'Corp Brief') DRI recovers two elephant tusks weighing 3.7 kg (See 'Corp Brief') Govt holds Round Table with CPSEs on Enhancing Procurement from SC/ST MSEs (See 'Corp Brief') SARFAESI - Authority must verify statutory declarations & supporting material & on being satisfied that prescribed requirements are fulfilled, must pass appropriate orders for taking possession of secured asset - cannot adjudicate disputed questions falling beyond limited scope of Section 14: HC (See 'Legal Desk') Special Campaign: Waste Disposal generates revenue of Rs 15.74 Crores (See 'Corp Brief') IBC - Provisions of IBBI (Insolvency Resolution Process for Corporate Persons) Regulations, 2016 contravened where RP unilaterally withdraws higher monthly fee without prior approval of CoC: IBBI (See 'Legal Desk') Delhi Railway Area handles 5 Lakh Passengers Daily - Footfall rises to 8 Lakh during festivals (See 'Corp Brief') IBC- SC exercises power under Article 142 - Borrower firm to pay further sum of 125 crores rupees as full & final settlement of all claims concerning assigned debt: SC LB (See 'Legal Desk') Legislative Department initiates Interaction Series on Personal Effectiveness in Leadership (See 'Corp Brief') National Exercise strengthens India's Preparedness for Foot-and-Mouth Disease (See 'Corp Brief') IBC - Once existence of financial debt & a default is clearly established through unimpeachable evidence & records from information utility, admission of application u/s 7 is mandatory: NCLAT (See 'Legal Desk') NHAI Guidelines to standardise Design and Infrastructure for Multi-Lane Free Flow Tolling (See 'Corp Brief') A & C - Clause 26 of Special Conditions of Contract operates as express contractual bar within meaning of Section 31(7)(a) of the Act, thereby prohibiting arbitral tribunal from awarding pre-reference & pendente lite interest: SC (See 'Legal Desk') Centre reviews progress of AB PM-JAY and ABDM with States (See 'Corp Brief') A&C - Petitioner's deliberate omission of material bank account & failure to disclose operational details, even upon specific judicial inquiry, constitutes incomplete compliance with Rule 41(2) - exercise of discretion under Rule 41(3) to issue arrest warrants is justified: HC (See 'Legal Desk') Reddy calls for expediting Mineral Exploration and Strengthening Centre-State Coordination (See 'Corp Brief') MY Bharat's 'Viksit Bharat Yuva Samvad: Know Your Vote' Campaign reaches Over 1 Lakh Youth (See 'Corp Brief') PBPT - Intention behind benami arrangement may be inferred from surrounding circumstances & material on record, even where such intention is not established through direct evidence: Tribunal (See 'Legal Desk') Ministry of Mines launches 9th Tranche of Critical Mineral Block Auction (See 'Corp Brief') Union Health Minister reviews progress of AIIMS Awantipora; directs expeditious completion (See 'Corp Brief') Competition Act - Relief being of the nature of final relief cannot be sought at a stage when the matter is being investigated by the DG: CCI (See 'Legal Desk') BRE Summit & Expo 2026 reinforces India's Position as Major Global Force in Renewable Energy: Joshi (See 'Corp Brief') A&C - Judicial intervention in arbitral proceedings is warranted only in exceptional cases, such as where party is left remediless under the statute or where clear bad faith is established: HC (See 'Legal Desk') An unsuccessful 'success fee' litigation (See CORP EINSICHT)

India, ADB sign USD 300 mn loan to improve primary healthcare in India

Published: Nov 24, 2021

By TIOLCorplaws News Service

NEW DELHI, NOV 24, 2021: THE Government of India and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) yesterday signed a USD 300 million loan to strengthen and improve access to comprehensive primary health care in urban areas of 13 states that will benefit over 256 million urban dwellers including 51 million from slum areas.

Rajat Kumar Mishra, Additional Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs in the Ministry of Finance, signed for the Government of India the agreement for Strengthening Comprehensive Primary Health Care and pandemic preparedness in Urban Areas Program while Takeo Konishi, Country Director of ADB's India Resident Mission, signed for ADB.

After signing the loan agreement, Mr Mishra said that the programme supports the Government of India's key health initiatives - Ayushman Bharat Health and Wellness Centres (AB-HWC) and Pradhan Mantri Atmanirbhar Swasth Bharat Yojana (PM-ASBY) - which has been renamed as Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM) - by expanding availability and access to quality primary health care services particularly for vulnerable populations in urban areas.

Ayushman Bharat programme, launched in 2018, aims to improve access to comprehensive primary health care as a key strategy to achieve universal health coverage in India. With the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic that put additional pressure on the country's health system, the government launched PM-ASBY later renamed as PM-ABHIM in October 2021 to adopt a long-term approach to system strengthening to prepare for future pandemics and other emergencies.

"Ensuring equitable access to non-COVID-19 primary health care is critical amid challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic to India's health system," said Konishi. "The programme complements the government's efforts to bridge the health care gaps by strengthening institutional capacity, operation, and management of urban health and wellness centers at the central, state, and municipal levels."

The programme will be implemented in urban areas across 13 states: Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Haryana, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and West Bengal. Beside the pandemic response, interventions through the program promote increased utilization of urban HWCs with provision of comprehensive primary health care packages including non-communicable diseases and community outreach services such as awareness raising activities on health care options, particularly for women. Delivery and health information systems for primary health care will be upgraded through digital tools, quality assurance mechanisms, and engagement and partnership with the private sector.

The programme is supported by a USD 2 million technical assistance grant from ADB's Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction to provide support for programme implementation and coordination, capacity building, innovation, knowledge sharing and application of scalable best practices across the healthcare system.

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