The government on Sunday set up 11 empowered groups to suggest measures to ramp up healthcare, put the economy back on track and reduce the misery of people as quickly as possible post the 21-day lockdown imposed to contain the coronavirus pandemic.

These groups have been constituted to ensure a comprehensive and integrated response to Covid-19 and will work under the overall guidance of P. K. Mishra, the principal secretary to the Prime Minister, sources said.

The initiative is being viewed as pro-active step by the government to deal with multiple challenges which the outbreak of the pandemic has posed, they said, adding that these groups will also work on strategies for restoring normality in their respective sectors, including healthcare, in the shortest possible time.

The sources further said that these groups have been set up under the Disaster Management Act and the department of expenditure has issued special instructions to enable expeditious decision in procurement matters.