Covid-19: SC sets up national task force to streamline oxygen allocation across the country

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Saturday set up a national task force(NTF) to streamline oxygen allocation across the country.
"The rationale for constituting a Task Force at a national level is to facilitate a public health response to the pandemic based on scientific and specialised domain knowledge," said the apex court.
The task force has been mandated to work on assessing and making recommendations for the entire country based on the need for, availability and distribution of medical oxygen and formulating and devising the methodology for the allocation of medical oxygen to the States and UTs on a scientific, rational and equitable basis.
The task force will also make recommendations on augmenting the available supplies of oxygen, facilitate audits to determine whether the supplies allocated by the Union Government reach the State/UT concerned.
It will also review and suggest measures necessary for ensuring the availability of essential drugs and medicines; plan and adopt remedial measures for ensuring preparedness to meet present and future emergencies which may arise during the pandemic; promote evidence based research to enhance effective responses to the pandemic and facilitate the sharing of best practices across the nation to promote knowledge about the management of the pandemic and treatment of cases.
"This Task Force would be tasked inter alia with formulating a methodology for the scientific allocation of oxygen to the states and UTs," the SC said.
The SC also asked the Union and state governments, ministries, agencies and departments to "provide complete and real time data for facilitating the work of the Task Force."
The cabinet secretary may nominate an officer not below the rank of Additional Secretary to depute for him, when necessary.
The tenure of the task force shall be six months initially.
The decision of the court comes amid many states, including Delhi, West Bengal, Maharashtra asking the Union government to supply more medical oxygen to their respective states.
The 12-member task force comprises Dr Bhabatosh Biswas, Dr Devender Singh Rana, Dr Devi Prasad Shetty, Dr Gagandeep Kang, Dr JV Peter; Dr Naresh Trehan, Dr Rahul Pandit, Dr Saumitra Rawat, Dr Shiv Kumar Sarin, Dr Zarir F Udwadia, Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India (ex officio member) and
Cabinet Secretary to the Union Government, who shall be the Convenor of the national task force.