Prime Minister Modi on Saturday, 4 April, chaired a joint meeting of the empowered groups constituted for planning and ensuring implementation of COVID-19 response activities in the country.
He directed the officials to ensure sufficient availability of all medical equipment such as ventilators, coveralls, masks, to be used in Covid-19 response.
PM Modi chairs meeting of planning and implementation of response activity
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Saturday, chaired a joint meeting of the Empowered Groups constituted for planning and ensuring implementation of COVID-19 response activities in the country.
In a series of tweets, he reviewed the countrywide preparedness regarding the availability of hospitals, proper isolation and quarantine facilities as well as disease surveillance and testing.
He also directed the concerned groups and officials to ensure sufficient production, procurement and availability of all essential medical equipment such as PPEs, masks, gloves and ventilators.
The Ministry of Home Affairs on March 29 constituted 11 Empowered Groups for a comprehensive and integrated response to COVID-19 under the Disaster Management Act, 2005.
Empowered Groups of the country
These Empowered Groups are Medical emergency management plan, Availability of hospitals, isolation and quarantine facilities, Disease surveillance and testing and critical care training, Ensuring availability of medical equipment, Augmenting human resources and capacity building, Facilitating supply chain and logistics management for the availability of necessary items such as food and medicines, Coordinating with the private sector, NGOs and International organisation for response-related activities, Economic and welfare measures, Information communication and public awareness, Technology and Data management, Public grievances and suggestions, and Strategic issues relating to lockdown.
Of these eleven groups, nine are headed by Secretary level officers, one by a member of NITI Aayog and one by the CEO of NITI Aayog.
PM reviews the countrywide preparations
"PM @narendramodi reviewed countrywide preparedness regarding the availability of hospitals, proper isolation and quarantine facilities as well as disease surveillance, testing and critical care training", the PMO said in one of the tweets.
"PM @narendramodi also directed the concerned groups and officials to ensure sufficient production, procurement and availability of all essential medical equipment such as PPEs, masks, gloves and ventilators," said another tweet.
These groups are empowered to identify problem areas and provide effective solutions, delineate policy, formulate plans, strategies operations and take all necessary steps for effective and time-bound implementation of these plans, policies, strategies, decisions in their respective areas.
