Lav Agarwal
Lav Agrawal | |
|---|---|
 Agrawal addressing a press conference in April 2020. | |
| Born | 19 February 1972 |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Education | B Tech in Mechanical Engineering |
| Alma mater | IIT Delhi |
| Occupation | Bureaucrat |
| Years active | 1997–present |
| Employer | Government of India |
| Organization | Indian Administrative Service |
| Known for | IAS officer leading India's media response to the 2020 coronavirus pandemic. |
| Office | Joint Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare |
Lav Agrawal (born 19 February 1972) is an Indian bureaucrat and engineer.[1] He is an IAS officer in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, serving as a joint secretary. Agrawal leads the Indian government's daily media briefings on the COVID-19 pandemic in the country.[2] Before his appointment to the Health Ministry in 2016, Agrawal served in various state governments. In November 2018, a Special Investigative Team constituted by the government of Telangana named Agrawal for his involvement in a land scam in Visakhapatnam,[3] but that report was not made public.[4]
Criticism
Agrawal has insisted that the COVID-19 pandemic in India has not reached the community transmission stage, where infections are no longer traceable to individual cases.[5][6][7] Public health officials have contested this claim, pointing out that India has very low rates of testing.[8] An Indian Council for Medical Research study as early as March 22 indicated that community transmission had already started in India.[9]
Agrawal has also been criticized for frequently mentioning the 2020 Tablighi Jamaat coronavirus hotspot in Delhi, an Islamic congregation that was a COVID-19 super-spreader event.[10] The Indian American Muslim Council said that the revelation of the hotspot had led to "the escalation of Islamophobia" in the country, and that in some parts of the country, "the social and economic boycott of Muslims is being openly pursued as a response to a healthcare and humanitarian crisis."[11] The IAMC pointed to a statement Agrawal made when the event was actually taking place, where he downplayed the seriousness of the spread of the coronavirus in the India.[12] Agrawal has continued mentioning the event in press briefings in spite of this criticism.[13]
References
- ^ "Lav Agrawal". Supremo, Government of India. Single User Platform Related To Employees Online. Retrieved 18 April 2020.
- ^ Dutta, Sumi (7 April 2020). "Lav in the time of COVID-19: Meet the ex-IITian who is the face of India's response". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 18 April 2020.
- ^ "Will SIT-named IAS officers face the music?". The New Indian Express. Express News Service. 9 November 2018. Retrieved 18 April 2020.
- ^ Bhattacharjee, Sumit (28 May 2019). "Will SIT report now be made public?". The Hindu. Retrieved 18 April 2020.
- ^ Yadavar, Swagata (10 April 2020). "No community transmission in India and no need to panic: Health ministry says again". ThePrint.
- ^ Thacker, Teena (31 March 2020). "No Community Transmission of Coronavirus infection yet". The Economic Times.
- ^ "No community transmission case reported so far: Indian government | Indiablooms - First Portal on Digital News Management". Indiablooms.com. India Blooms. 15 April 2020. Retrieved 18 April 2020.
- ^ Krishnan, Vidya. "Public-health experts raise concerns about India's restricted testing for COVID-19". The Caravan.
- ^ Koshy, Jacob (9 April 2020). "Coronavirus | ICMR study points to community transmission". The Hindu.
- ^ "Hindu, Muslim NRI groups pan 'escalation of Islamophobia' in India after Tablighi incident". ThePrint. 12 April 2020.
- ^ "Indian American groups condemn scapegoating of Muslims for Coronavirus spread in India, urge PM Modi to stop hate". Hindus For Human Rights. Retrieved 18 April 2020.
- ^ "Coronavirus not health emergency, total 81 cases in India: Health Ministry". Business Standard. Press Trust of India. 13 March 2020. Retrieved 18 April 2020.
- ^ "Despite Criticism, Health Ministry Continues to Refer to Tablighi Jamaat in COVID-19 Briefings". The Wire. 18 April 2020.