E P Jayarajan travels by IndiGo two years after self-imposed boycott of airline
Kozhikode (Kerala), Sep 13: Over two years after he decided to never travel by IndiGo, former LDF convener E P Jayarajan on Thursday night travelled to Delhi on the airline from Karipur airport here.
Jayarajan had in July 2022 decided not to travel by that airline after it imposed a three-week flying ban on him for his involvement in a scuffle onboard an IndiGo aircraft that was also carrying Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
Confirming that he travelled on the low-cost airline, the CPI(M) leader said that he opted for Indigo in order to quickly reach Delhi to pay his respects to late party general secretary Sitaram Yechury who died on Thursday.
Jayarajan said that Yechury was bigger than everything else and reaching Delhi quickly was more important than what he had stated about the airline two years ago.
On June 13, 2022, two Youth Congress workers shouted slogans against the chief minister inside the IndiGo aircraft from Kannur, after it landed at Thiruvananthapuram airport. Jayarajan, who was also onboard, allegedly pushed aside the two protesters.
Following that, the airline imposed a three-week flying ban on the CPI(M) leader and a two-week flying ban on the two Youth Congress workers who had raised slogans against the CM on board the aircraft.
In the wake of the airline's decision, he had lashed out at it by saying that neither he nor his family will ever travel by IndiGo -- nationally or internationally -- and there are other airlines in the country which are more reputable and offer a much better service.
He had also said that he would rather walk to his destination than board an IndiGo flight ever again in his life.
The Youth Congress workers had protested against the chief minister over allegations against him in a gold smuggling case.
The two protestors and another Youth Congress member were booked for attempted murder by the Kerala police in connection with the incident.
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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.
