The Centre has written a letter to the states calling for the constitution of committees for coordinating and overseeing the Covid-19 vaccination drive.
The letter mentions that a coordination mechanism needs to be established at the state and district levels. It has been suggested to all states and union territories to have a state steering committee that will oversee the planning and implementation of various activities and ensure inter-departmental coordination with all the departments and mobilisation of resources, a state task force led by the Chief Secretary or Principal Secretary (Health), and a district task force (DTF) headed by the District Magistrate.
An annexure attached with the letter outlines the terms of reference for the committees, according to which the state steering committee will involve all departments concerned with the preparatory and implementation phases.
“Ensure active engagement of other line departments for various activities related to the Covid-19 vaccine introduction as and when the vaccine is made available,” the issued letter stated. “Devise innovative strategies for improving community engagement ‘Jan Bhagidaari’ for improved coverage of Covid-19 vaccine,” it added.