Eknath Shinde dismisses buzz of rift in Mahayuti
Mumbai (PTI): Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has dismissed the speculation of a rift within the Mahayuti and said everything is hunky-dory in the ruling alliance.
The issues, if any, will be sorted out through discussions, Shinde told reporters on Sunday.
"There is no bickering within the Mahayuti. Everything is hunky-dory. We work and don't complain. We are the ones who fight," he said.
The Shiv Sena leader was reacting to reports that he has complained to Union Home Minister Amit Shah about Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, who heads the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).
"If Eknath Shinde has to say something, he will directly talk to me or the chief minister (Devendra Fadnavis). We share good relations," Pawar told reporters.
Amid talk of Shinde raising contentious issues concerning the state's ruling alliance with Shah, BJP 's Sudhir Mungantiwar on Sunday also defended the Shiv Sena leader.
"Eknath Shinde is a good leader. He would not use such ways to raise complaints before Shah. Shinde is such a leader who will not wait and raise it with Amit Shah. He would directly speak with Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar," Mungantiwar told reporters.
The ruling alliance comprises the BJP, Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar-led NCP. It retained power after a landslide victory in the state assembly polls held in November last year.
Shinde, who was chief minister from June 2022, however, had to be content with the deputy CM's post in the Devendra Fadnavis-led government formed after the polls.
During his visit to Maharashtra on Saturday, Shah attended an event at Raigad Fort to mark the 345th death anniversary of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.
NCP MP Sunil Tatkare on Saturday also hosted lunch for Shah at his house in Raigad, and described it as a "non-political" interaction with the issue of guardian ministers not on its agenda.
Local Shiv Sena leaders didn't attend the lunch, further fuelling speculation that all was not well in the BJP-led Mahayuti over the allotment of posts of guardian ministers in Raigad and Nashik.
Notably, Sunil Tatkare's daughter and NCP MLA Aditi Tatkare is one of the contenders for the post of the Raigad district guardian minister, but is facing opposition from Shiv Sena MLA Bharat Gogawale.
The Fadnavis-led Mahayuti government had to stay the appointment of Aditi Tatkare and BJP leader Girish Mahajan as guardian ministers of Raigad and Nashik and districts, respectively, in January this year due to opposition from the Shinde-led Shiv Sena.
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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.
