Delhi-Mumbai expressway new route to save Rs 16,000 crore: Gadkari
New Delhi, Sep 14 : Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Friday said the government has planned a new road alignment for the Delhi-Mumbai expressway that connects some of the most backward areas in five states and also saves Rs 16,000 crore in land acquisition.
"We are planning a new alignment for Delhi-Mumbai express highway from Gurgaon to Jaipur ring road to Sawai Madhopur (Rajasthan) to Ratlam (MP) to Varodara. It is from backward areas of Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra.
"That is the reason our land acquisition cost is reduced from Rs 7 crore to Rs 80 lakh per hectare. We saved Rs 16,000 crore in land acquisition in this project," Gadkari said through video conference at a meet on "Public Affairs: The New Paradigm".
Earlier, the road plan for Delhi-Mumbai expressway included Surat and Ahmedabad. The new alignment of the 12-lane express highway will give a boost to the economic development of these backward areas and also reduce the distance by 120 km.
Speaking at the 5th National Forum hosted by the Public Affairs Forum of India (PAFI), a platform for public affairs professionals in the country, Road Transport and Highways Minister Gadkari said that "politics is an instrument of social economic reform".
He said the growing migration from the rural areas to the cities is a concern and that his government has given the highest priority to rural development. Rural population has come down from about 85 per cent to 55 per cent since Independence, he said.
"Rural development is crucial to the well-being of the overall Indian economy and the government of India's priority is upliftment of rural infrastructure, and providing quality education, clean drinking water and employment opportunities.
"Agriculture faces water challenges and we are working towards harnessing our resources by building dams and different kinds of innovative models for effective water conservation," he said.
Gadkari is also the Minister of Shipping and of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation.
Highlighting the work being done on waterways, the Minister sought greater private participation in the upcoming waterway between Varanasi and Haldia, which will be a cost-competitive alternative for exports to neighbouring countries in the east.
He also said that import cost of aviation fuel can be solved through use of indigenously produced bio-fuel for the aviation industry.
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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.
