Day after BJP Task Force, Madhya Pradesh CM Sets up Technical Advisory Panel to Fight Covid-19

A day after forming a task force comprising senior BJP leaders, including Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, the Madhya Pradesh government on Tuesday constituted a state-level technical advisory committee including senior officials of the Health Department for coronavirus prevention.

After the formation of the task force, questions were raised about why no expert from the Health Department or other sector has been included.

BJP MP chief VD Sharma is the convener of the task force, while Chouhan, Suhas Bhagat, Kailash Vijayvargiya, Narottam Mishra, Rakesh Singh, Rajendra Shukla, Meena Singh and Jagdish Dewda are part of it.

From the Jyotiraditya Scindia camp, his close aide and former Health minister Tulsi Silawat was included.

The Congress was quick to criticise the step, saying it suggested that the fight for ministerial berths was intense and cabinet expansion would require time.

Congress media coordinator Narendra Saluja demanded formation of a committee comprising physicians, politicians, media personalities, experts and leading people from society, saying that fighting the coronavius wasn’t the responsibility of a single party.

The technical advisory committee led by Health director Sudam P Khade will chalk out guidelines to fight the pandemic and in accordance with the requirement prepare guidelines on surveillance, sample collection, clinical management, isolation and quarantine and also form teams.

The task force will present a daily report to Additional Chief Secretary Health.

Health department officials and heads of various departments of Gandhi Medical College and AIIMS Bhopal have been included in the task force.

The total positive cases have risen to 741 in Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday, with Indore reporting 411 and Bhopal 158 cases. The state has reported 53 deaths so far.