Japan gives Pakistan $65 mn for polio eradication
August 16th, 2011 - 10:06 am ICT by IANSIslamabad, Aug 16 (IANS) A Japanese government agency has signed a loan agreement with the Pakistan government to provide it funds up to 4,990 million yen (around $65 million) for polio eradication in the country.
The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) signed the deal with the Economic Affairs Division (EAD) of Pakistan, Online news agency reported.
The objective of the polio eradication project is to administer polio vaccine to children under five years, thereby contributing to the eradication of the disease in Pakistan.
The loan was extended on soft terms with an interest rate of 0.01 percent and a repayment period of 40 years, including a grace period of 10 years.
The funds for the project will be released in September.
Pakistan is lagging behind other South Asian countries in terms of maternal and infant mortality and is one of the polio endemic countries in the world - the others being Afghanistan, India and Nigeria.
The government launched the National Emergency Action Plan for Polio Eradication in January.
Japan has continuously committed itself to polio eradication in Pakistan.
As part of the government’s response to polio eradication, Japan has provided aid to procure oral polio vaccine mainly for the Pakistan-Afghanistan border areas in partnership with Unicef since 1996.
The JICA is an independent governmental agency that coordinates official development assistance for the government of Japan. It deals with assisting economic and social growth in developing countries and promotion of international cooperation.
- Japan gives 120 mn yen grant to fight polio - Mar 26, 2012
- Faltering on polio, Pakistan looks at India lesson - Mar 02, 2012
- India to support global polio eradication: Azad - Feb 26, 2012
- Pakistan seeks global help to repatriate three million Afghans - Oct 29, 2011
- Japan helping India clean Yamuna: Natarajan - Dec 19, 2011
- Japan to lend $63 mn to Bangladesh - Jan 26, 2012
- Polio funds get a boost in India: Rotary International - Feb 10, 2012
- Indian firm joins Nigeria's polio battle (With Images) - Feb 23, 2012
- Japan to continue supporting forestry projects in India - Dec 02, 2011
- India faces polio threat from Pakistan: Minister - Dec 20, 2011
- Japanese team to discuss Metro Phase III funding - Apr 25, 2011
- WHO takes India off polio endemic list (Lead) - Feb 26, 2012
- 'Getting rid of polio can save $2 trillion' - Feb 26, 2012
- Pakistani daily lauds India for no polio cases in 2011 - Jan 14, 2012
- A year of no polio: India triumphs, but risks remains - Jan 11, 2012
Tags: affairs division, border areas, development assistance, economic affairs, emergency action plan, endemic countries, independent governmental agency, infant mortality, international cooperation agency, japan international cooperation agency, japanese government agency, loan agreement, national emergency, oral polio vaccine, pakistan government, polio, polio eradication project, repayment period, south asian countries, unicef