Chandrababu Naidu is thrilled to bits, and he has every reason to be. When the ruling dispensation in Andhra Pradesh rubbished several of his suggestions to contain and prevent the spread of virus, NITI Aayog has acknowledged a model on deeper hotspot management as part of lockdown strategy on Covid-19. But why should Mr Naidu be thrilled? The model was developed by the Global Forum for Sustainable Transformation (GFST), which was founded by TDP president and former chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu.

In a letter written to Mr Naidu, NITI Aayog Vice-Chairman Dr Rajiv Kumar congratulated the former CM for his innovative and technological initiatives in mapping the nationwide Corona virus spread. “It has been the government’s endeavour to adopt a data-driven approach backed by technology solutions for mapping the spread of the infection, identifying existing and emerging hotspots as well as developing a containment strategy that balances the health and economic imperatives,” Rajiv Kumar wrote to Mr Naidu.

In the letter, Rajiv Kumar informed Mr Naidu that NITI Aayog team is exploring ways to standardize data collection protocols and creation of a real-time national level unified dashboard for corona virus in line with recommendations made by GSFT. The NITI Aayog team will consult the GFST research and analytics team on how best they can be used for strengthening and streamlining national response to the pandemic, Mr Rajiv Kumar informed Mr Naidu.

A thrilled Naidu took to twitter. “Glad to inform you that GFST has been augmenting India’s efforts in tackling COVID19 crisis. Our deeper hotspot modelling has been acknowledged by NITI Aayog,” he tweeted.