Government of India’s empowered group of secretaries returns

The empowered groups of secretaries set up in early 2020 to draw up India’s action plans on all aspects associated with the pandemic, are back in action again. A key empowered group headed by NITI Aayog member VK Paul has held meetings to ensure availability of essential medical equipment and augment human resources, while a second group chaired by DPIIT secretary Guruprasad Mahapatra, currently suffering from Covid-19, has been trying to ramp up oxygen supply.

The recent decision to import 50,000 tonnes of medical oxygen is learnt to have come after the recommendation of the groups last week. The empowered group chaired by Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant is also fully activated, ET has learnt. This group last year coordinated with the private sector, NGOs and global organisations for pandemic response-related activities and has resumed its work.

Secretary Amit Khare is tasked with information, communication, public awareness, public grievances and data management amid the pandemic. Khare is learnt to have held meetings recently on ensuring that government functioning is not hampered by the pandemic. He brought out last year’s work from home modules back for discussion to roll out if the situation so demands. Khare’s group is also set to drive up vaccination and campaign for use of masks across the country.


The empowered group on economic and welfare measures is helmed by revenue secretary Tarun Bajaj, while home secretary Ajay Bhalla heads the sixth group on strategic issues related to Covid management, and facilitating supply chain and logistics management.