No freedom of speech or expression during NDA rule: CPI
Puducherry: Tamil Nadu CPI secretary R Mutharasan Saturday charged the Bharathiya Janata Party (BJP)-headed NDA government at the Centre with denying the people freedom of speech and expression during the last five years of its rule.
He said this while campaigning for the candidates of the secular progressive alliance contesting the April 18 Lok Sabha poll and also the byelection to the Thattanchavady assembly constituency here.
The forthcoming poll should not be considered a poll battle alone, rather a 'political war' between parties and their ideologies, he said.
He said the Prime Minister had promised the people of the country during the run-up to the Lok Sabha poll in 2014 that farmers in distress would be helped, two crore jobs for the youth would be generated and steps to improve the lot of the weaker sections would be taken.
But, Modi had not done anything and his five- year rule was a 'monumental failure', he
He assured the people of Puducherry of statehood status if they voted the Secular Progressive Alliance to power at the Centre.
Chief Minister V Narayanasamy, who accompanied the CPI leader, described Modi as 'anti-dalits and anti- minorities.'
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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.
