LG Baijal appoints new Principal Secy (Home) as nodal officer for COVID-19 management in Delhi govt

New Delhi, Jun 23 () Lt Governor Anil Baijal has designated senior IAS officer Bhupinder Singh Bhalla as Principal Secretary (Home) who will also work as a nodal officer for "overall management of COVID-19" in the Delhi government, an official order said.

The move assumes significance as Bhalla's appointment comes at a time when the Centre is overseeing measures taken to deal with the COVID-19 situation in the city which has been witnessing an alarming spike in cases.

He was transferred by the Ministry of Home Affairs to the Delhi government on June 17.

The 1990-batch IAS officer will have the responsibility of implementing decisions and orders issued by the Centre and the Delhi government to arrest the spread of COVID-19 in the national capital.

According to the LG's order issued on Monday, Bhalla would exercise "required supervision in all the matters related to the prevention and management of COVID-19" in the Delhi government.

On Tuesday, Delhi's tally of COVID-19 cases crossed the 66,000-mark with the biggest single-day jump of 3,947 fresh infections, while the death toll due to the disease mounted to 2,301.

From Friday to Sunday, 3,000 or more fresh cases were reported per day in the national capital. On Monday, 2,909 cases were recorded. BUN CK