USAID, the lead US Government agency working to end extreme global poverty, is to spend $100 million a year in India on a wide spectrum of poverty alleviation schemes covering health, food security, clean energy and education.
The agency is seeking to partner with Indian corporate houses and non-government organisations to take up schemes for providing safe potable drinking water to rural India.
In this connection, it is holding a symposium here today with the representatives of local companies and NGOs to identify projects that could be taken up in the State and elsewhere.
“About 75 per cent of the money will be spent on health-related programmes. We look forward to working with Indian corporations,” Kathryn D Stevens, Deputy Mission Director, USAID, said.
The organisation is currently engaged in implementing the Health of the Urban Poor programmes in eight states, including Bihar, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha and Madhya Pradesh.
Michael C Mullins, Consul General, Consulate General of the USA, said the agency’s initiative to improve supply of safe potable drinking water would go a long way in improving the health of rural India. He wanted Indian corporate houses, which have to spend a portion of their profits for CSR programmes, to participate in this programme.