NITI Aayog seeks help from NGOs, UN, industry bodies in combating Covid-19

The initiative is being undertaken by the empowered group, constituted on March 29 under the Disaster Management Act 2005 and headed by Amitabh Kant, CEO, Niti Aayog

Government think-tank NITI Aayog has written to 92,000 NGOs, industry associations, and international organisations seeking their assistance in delivering services to the poor, and health and community workers to combat the Covid-19 pandemic.

The initiative is being undertaken by the empowered group constituted on March 29 under the Disaster Management Act 2005, headed by NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant.

The committee has opened up cross-sectoral dialogues within the private sector and start-ups asking them to produce health equipment and personal protective equipment.

The committee held six meetings between March 30 and April 6 with Ficci, CII, civil society groups, and international organisations such as World Health Organization, the United Nations agencies.  

NITI Aayog has also asked the NGOs to assist the administration in identifying the hotspots and depute volunteers to deliver services to the vulnerable.

Each NGO and civil society organisation will have to provide it Foreign Contribution Regulation Act details along with the type of support they are offering and the location. They would also have to submit the details of the amount spent, duration of support activities, and the details of problems faced along with their suggestions.