 "Yogi Adityanath")
At the onset of the first wave of Covid-19 last year, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had constituted a “Team 11”, comprising senior bureaucrats, to contain the pandemic and implement the state’s quick response strategy.
The first wave was characterised by the reverse exodus of nearly 4 million migrant workers to UP from industrialised states such as Maharashtra, Gujarat, Punjab, and Delhi, apart from the acute shortage of essential medical supplies including personal protection equipment (PPE), hand gloves, and hand sanitisers.
Now with the novel coronavirus mutants/variants driving the second wave of Covid-19, Adityanath has dovetailed “Team 11” into “Team 9” for speedier Covid-19 management, faster decision making, and a quicker mobilisation of resources.
Since UP is among the worst affected states in terms of fresh cases and mortality, the chief minister has inducted two senior cabinet ministers to bridge the gap between policymaking and executive lobbies.
In the current wave, the state is grappling with the shortage of liquid medical oxygen and the availability of Covid-19 drugs. It is also planning to ensure the ongoing vaccination programme of various targeted categories continues without any hiccup.
UP Additional Chief Secretary (Information and Export Promotion) Navneet Sehgal told Business Standard “Team 11” was dovetailed into “Team 9” as a dynamic response to the current situation and to cater to the specific medical requirements in the second wave.
“Last year the state government had the daunting task of managing the heavy influx of migrant workers, setting up quarantine facilities, ramping up the production of PPE kits, hand sanitisers, etc. However, in the second wave, the state has other issues to tackle, such as arranging for medical oxygen and Covid-19 drugs,” he said.
The district magistrates in the state have been asked to constitute their own “Team 9” for a faster percolation of government schemes to targeted groups and Covid patients.
At the same time, the state government has constituted a group of medical experts to advise “Team 9” on incremental progress with regard to Covid-19 and to fine tune the state response strategy. It is led by R K Dhiman, director of the Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow, and comprises senior doctors as members.
Alok Ranjan, a former UP chief secretary who is now a management and government policy consultant, said “Team 9” would catalyse the state government response to tackle the emerging Covid situation.
“The new team must ensure the decisions are quickly translated into action and the forum is not merely used for review and garnering suggestions,” he observed.
THE MEMBERS OF TEAM 9
1. UP Medical Education Minister Suresh Khanna is the leader of the team. He is mandated with coordinating the availability of beds in Covid hospitals and the vaccination programme. He is assisted by three other members — the minister of state (MoS), medical education; additional chief secretary (ACS), medical education; and principal secretary, medical education.
2. UP Health Minister Jai Pratap Singh is the second-most member of the team. He is responsible for ensuring seamless availability of medical kits, testing, and health facilities. He is assisted by two other members — MoS (health) and ACS (health).
3. UP Chief Secretary R K Tiwari is the third member of “Team 9”, entrusted with the task of coordinating Covid management between the Centre and the state.
4. UP Infrastructure and Industrial Development Commissioner Sanjeev Mittal is the fourth member of the team, responsible for managing industrial activities in the state during the pandemic.
6. UP Agriculture Production Commissioner (APC) Alok Sinha is the fifth member of the core team. He is mandated to ensure that agricultural and farm activities are not affected during the pandemic and lockdown.
6. ACS (Home) Avanish Kumar Awasthi is the sixth member of the team. He has to coordinate medical oxygen with the help of principal secretaries of the state Food Safety and Drug Administration (FSDA) and transport departments.
7. ACS (Revenue) Renuka Kumar is the seventh member of the team, responsible for coordinating the tasks of testing and quarantine facilities for migrant workers.
8. UP Director General of Police (DGP) H C Awasthi is the eighth member of the team. He has to manage the affairs of containment zones, weekend lockdown, and Covid protocols.
9. UP ACS (Rural Development and Panchayati Raj) Manoj Kumar Singh is the 9th member of the team and looks after fogging and sanitisation.
