India, UAE ink pact on operating nuclear plants in Gulf nation
New Delhi, Sep 10: India and the UAE have inked a pact that provides a framework for giving services for operation and maintenance of nuclear plants in the emirate.
The Memorandum of Understanding was signed by Bhuwan Chandra Pathak, Chairman and Managing Director of the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL), and Mohamed Al Hammadi, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) of the UAE.
The MoU was inked during the ongoing visit of Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to India.
Al Nahyan held talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday.
"The MoU provides a general framework for the possible collaboration between the NPCIL & ENEC in the relevant fields, which inter alia include developing supply chains, sharing experience and providing services for Operation & Maintenance of Nuclear Energy Plants, providing nuclear consulting services, human resources development & training, research and development etc," a statement by the NPCIL said.
The NPCIL is a Public Sector Enterprise of the Department of Atomic Energy and operates all civil nuclear power plants in the country.
The ENEC is wholly owned by the Abu Dhabi Development Holding Company PJSC, which in turn is wholly owned by the government of the UAE.
"The signing of this MoU marks a significant step in the growing cooperation between India and the UAE in peaceful uses of nuclear energy," the NPCIL statement said on Tuesday.
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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.
