Central government set up six Central teams to focus on lockdown execution

New Delhi: The central government, here on Monday, set up six Inter-Ministerial Central Teams (IMCTs), led by the Additional Secretary level officers, to monitor implementation of lockdown, supply of essential goods and other related issues.

The teams, constituted in exercise of powers conferred under the Disaster Management Act 2005, had reached their designated places, said a Home Ministry Joint Secretary at a press briefing.

While two teams each have been set up for West Bengal and Maharashtra, one each for Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. Each six-member teams comprise a senior public health specialist and a National Disaster Management Authority (NMDA) official.

The IMCTs will make on-spot assessment of situation and issue necessary directions to the state authorities and submit their reports to the central government.

The IMCTs will assess compliance and implementation of lockdown as per the guidelines and focus on issues, like the supply of essential commodities, social distancing, preparedness of health infrastructure, hospital facilities and sample statistics in the districts, safety of health professionals, availability of test kits, PPEs, masks and other safety equipment, and conditions of the relief camps for labourers and the poor.

The IMCTs have been set up following reports of lockdown violations causing serious situations in Indore (Madhya Pradesh), Mumbai and Pune (Maharashtra), Jaipur (Rajasthan) and Kolkata, Howrah, Medinipur East, 24 Parganas North, Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Jalpaiguri (West Bengal). (IANS)

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