In a bid to boost a faltering economy due to the grim challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic, the govt on Thursday announced an emergency Covid response package of ₹23,123 crore. This package will also be used for 8,338 dedicated Covid health centres.
New Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said, of this ₹23,000 crore, ₹8,000 crore will come from states and ₹15,000 crore from the Centre, adding the plans will be implemented in the next nine months. Mandaviya added that the package will help set up paediatrics departments in 736 districts, 20,000 new ICU beds and acquire buffer stocks of medicines.
In a major overhaul of the Cabinet, 36 new ministers, including Sarbananda Sonowal and Jyotiraditya Scindia, joined the central government on Wednesday.
Mansukh Mandaviya was appointed as Health Minister on Wednesday just hours after Dr Harsh Vardhan, who was the face of the government's efforts to fight Covid-19, was asked to step down along with his deputy.