Pak has to stop terror, will progress if it lives in atmosphere of friendship with India: Farooq Abd
Srinagar (PTI) National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah on Friday said Pakistan has to put a stop to terror activities and understand that it can progress only when it lives in an atmosphere of friendship and love with India.
The former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister also said Kashmiri Pandits will not return to the valley until remnants of terror remain here.
"The government cannot bring anything. Until they (Pandits) feel in their hearts that they are safe here and can roam around freely, they will not come back," Abdullah told reporters on the sidelines of an event here.
The NC president said the government as well as the people here will have to create a conducive atmosphere in Jammu and Kashmir for Pandits to return.
"We have to create those conditions and that cannot happen through speeches, but by action. If we really want to bring them back, we have to start acting in that way. We also need to tell our neighbour (Pakistan) to stop terror now. Enough is enough.
"We cannot become theirs (Pakistan), but we can live as friends. Till there are remnants of terror, there will be fear and this (the return of Pandits) will not happen," he said.
Replying to a question that whether targeted killings of Hindus in the recent past were a hurdle for Pandits to return to Kashmir, Abdullah said such killings will take place till Pakistan realises that it has to live as friends with India.
"When we live as friends and with love, both countries will progress and if we live in hatred, the pace of progress will be slow, which we are seeing today," he asserted.
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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.
