One of the empowered group will deal with issues of vaccination and vaccine procurement. AFP
After drawing criticism from the Supreme Court over the management of Covid, the Centre has reconstituted six empowered groups it formed to tackle issues relating to the pandemic into ten groups.
From vaccinations to oxygen supply to economic welfare measures, these groups will focus on key areas and simplify methods and availability for states.
The Ministry of Home Affairs, while issuing an order under the Disaster Management Act, expanded the ambit of these empowered groups and tasked them with facilitating the supply chains and logistics too.
"The situation has been reviewed and a need has been felt to reconstitute the six empowered groups into ten groups in order to cater the current need of COVID-19 management," Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla stated in the order.
Each empowered group has been allocated 10-11 members each. The Union Home Secretary, who is also the Chairman of the National Executive Committee, suggested that the convenors of the respective groups can co-opt any other officer in the group as per requirement.
As per the order, issues related to oxygen production, import, establishment of PSA plants will be handled by a 10-member empowered group. The convenor of the group will be the Secretary in the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.
The convenor for the empowered group for vaccination, vaccine procurement, import etc, will be NITI Aayog member Dr V K Paul. The group will have nine other members, including the Foreign Secretary.
Dr Paul will also be the convenor for the 11-member empowered group for emergency management plan and strategy. The convenor for the empowered group for emergency response capabilities will be the Union Health Secretary and the group will have 10 other members.
The convenor for the nine-member empowered group for testing will be Director General, Indian Council of Medical Research, Prof Balram Bhargava.
The convenor for the empowered group for economic and welfare measures will be the Secretary, Economic Affairs. The group will have 10 members.
The Secretary, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, will be convenor for information, communication and public engagement relating to the pandemic management. The group will have 10 other members.
The convenor of the empowered group for pandemic response and coordination will be the Union Home Secretary and it will have 11 other members.
The empowered group for augmenting human resources and capacity building will have the Union Labour Secretary as its convenor and it will have nine other members.
The convenor for the empowered group for partnerships with private sector, NGOs and others will be NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant. The group will have nine other members.