"I resigned as minister last November; kept quiet because...": Maharashtra MLA Chhagan Bhujbal
Ahmednagar, Feb 3: Maharashtra minister Chhagan Bhujbal, who has accused the state government of facilitating the backdoor entry of the Maratha community into the OBC quota, on Saturday disclosed that he had tendered his resignation from the state cabinet last November.
Addressing a rally here, Bhujbal, who belongs to the Ajit Pawar-led faction of the NCP, reiterated that he was not opposed to Marathas getting the reservation but is against sharing the existing OBC quota.
"Many leaders from the Opposition, even leaders from my government say that I should resign. Someone said Bhujbal should be sacked from the Cabinet.
"I want to tell leaders from the Opposition, government, and my party that ahead of the OBC Elgar rally held in Ambad on November 17, I resigned from the cabinet on November 16 and then went to attend that event," he said.
Bhujbal further said he kept quiet for more than two months because the chief minister and the Dy CM asked him not to speak about it.
"There is no need for sacking. I have tendered my resignation. I will fight for the OBC till the end," the senior Other Backward Classes (OBC) leader added.
Bhujbal's remarks come against the backdrop of demand from some sections demanding his resignation as Food and Civil Supplies minister as he has been criticising the state government over its handling of Maratha quota demand.
He had accused the government of pandering to the demands of Maratha quota leader Manoj Jarange.
A Shiv Sena MLA MLA from the Eknath Shinde camp had said that Bhujbal should be sacked for trying to create a rift in society.
"We do not oppose the reservation to the Maratha community, but give it to them separately. Do not give it under our (OBC) quota. But they (Manoj Jarange) say give it from the OBC quota," Bhujbal added.
He alleged the process of gathering data to determine the Maratha community's backwardness through a survey by the state backward classes commission is flawed.
"While OBCs constitute 54-60% of the state population, SC/STs 20%, and Brahmins 3%, yet all MLAs and MPs are scared of losing Maratha votes," he said.
Bhujbal claimed OBC MLAs don't even help in funding rallies let alone participating.
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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.
