♦ India and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) signed a $170 million policy-based loan to enhance India’s preparedness and response capacity for future pandemics. The agreement, part of the ‘Strengthened and Measurable Actions for Resilient and Transformative Health Systems Programme was signed by Juhi Mukherjee, Joint Secretary of the Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, on behalf of the Indian government, and Mio Oka, Country Director of ADB’s India Resident Mission. 

♦ The programme aims to enhance disease surveillance systems by establishing laboratory networks for infectious disease surveillance at various levels and building robust data systems to monitor and coordinate national health programmes for vulnerable groups. It will also improve the governance of India’s One Health approach and its multisector response to emerging infectious diseases.