The Centre has reconstituted the 6 empowered groups on Covid-19 it had formed earlier into 10 in order to tackle the current situation better. It has also formed a panel that will look into vaccination and requirement of medical oxygen.
National covid task force head and NITI Aayog Dr VK Paul will head the panel on vaccination alojng with 10 other members. They will oversee procurement, manufacturing, logistics, daily supply and utilisation. They will also look into vaccine wastage.
The empowered group on medical oxygen will have 12 members including Giridhar Aramane, the Union secretary in the ministry of transport, who will be heading it. They have been tasked with overseeing production, import, logisitics, transporting oxygen, PSA plants and conversion of industrial oxygen to medical oxygen.
The other groups are looking into matters such as emergency response, testing, NGO partnerships, economic measures, public engagement among others.