3.4 magnitude tremor hits Gujarat's Navsari; no casualty
Ahmedabad (PTI): A 3.4 magnitude tremor hit south Gujarat's Navsari district on Thursday morning, the Institute of Seismological Research (ISR) said.
The tremor was recorded at 5.27 am, with its epicentre located 22 km east-southeast of Vansda, the Gandhinagar-based institute said.
No damage to property or casualty was reported, local officials said.
Gujarat faces a high earthquake risk. It has suffered nine major earthquakes in the past 200 years, as per the information provided by the Gujarat State Disaster Management Authority (GSDMA).
The 2001 Kutch earthquake was the third-largest and second-most destructive in India over the last two centuries, as per GSDMA.
On January 26, 2001, an earthquake of 6.9 magnitude struck near Bhachau in Gujarat's Kutch and affected the entire state. The quake claimed as many as 13,800 lives and left 1.67 lakh others injured.
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Maharashtra sets up state vaccination task force to strengthen immunisation programme
Mumbai (PTI): The Maharashtra government has set up a State Vaccination Task Force to strengthen the regular immunisation programme and review the progress of related campaigns, a health department official said on Monday.
The State Vaccination Task Force will comprise at least 29 members and will be headed by the administrative head of the health department, he informed.
The government has also constituted separate district-level and municipal vaccination task forces to improve implementation and address challenges at the grassroots level, he said.
Municipal task forces, chaired by respective civic commissioners, have been constituted in view of the vast urban population in Maharashtra and the role of civic bodies in implementing different health programmes.
The district-level task forces will function under the chairmanship of collectors.
"Complete immunisation of children at the appropriate age is an extremely simple, cost-effective and highly effective measure to reduce child mortality and the prevalence of diseases among kids. Immunisation is a powerful tool for reducing illness in children," maintained the official.
To ensure full vaccination of all children, the state government implements various campaigns from time to time as per the central government guidelines, he pointed out.
"Active participation and cooperation of other relevant government departments are essential (in making these campaigns successful)," according to the official.
The state-level body will review the regular immunisation programme, associated campaigns and vaccine-preventable diseases in detail. It will also conduct focused assessments of high-risk districts and municipal corporations, including vacancies at district, municipal and sub-district levels, availability of cold chain equipment, resource gaps and training requirements, he noted.
The state task force will review allocation and utilisation of funds for immunisation and ensure timely action by officers concerned based on reports from district and municipal task forces and state-level monitoring mechanisms, the official said.
It will also ensure active coordination and participation of other government departments in immunisation drives, while district and municipal task forces will carry out similar functions at their respective levels, the official added.
