COVID19 Fight: Google Raises Rs 33 Cr In Internal Donations For COVID-Hit India

New Delhi: Google on Monday said it has raised over $4.6 million (Rs 33 crore) to date under its internal donation campaign to raise funds for nonprofit organisations in India which are helping the needy during the lethal second Covid wave.

The nonprofits that are part of the campaign include GiveIndia, Charities Aid Foundation India, GOONJ, and United Way of Mumbai.

To help people search for the availability of hospital beds and access to medical oxygen, Google is also testing a new feature using the Q&A function in Maps that enables people to ask about and share local information on availability of beds and medical oxygen in select locations.

"As this will be user generated content and not provided by authorised sources, it may be required to verify the accuracy and freshness of the information before utilizing it," Google said.

"In addition to showing 2,500 testing centres on Search and Maps, we're now sharing the locations of over 23,000 vaccination centres nationwide, in English and eight Indian languages," it added.

Google last month announced Rs 135 crore ($18 million) to help get urgent medical supplies, including oxygen and testing equipments, for India.

The donation includes two grants from Google.org, Google's philanthropic arm, totalling Rs 20 crore.

The company said that on YouTube, it is showing authoritative information in a set of playlists, about vaccines, preventing the spread of Covid-19, and facts from experts on Covid-19 care.

"As well as providing authoritative answers to queries, we're using our channels to help extend the reach of health information campaigns," Google noted.