Pak PM has no right to interfere in Indian elections: Asaduddin Owaisi
Hyderabad: AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi Thursday hit out at Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan over his remarks about India's general elections, saying he has no right to interfere in the country's electoral process.
During an interaction with foreign journalists in Islamabad on Wednesday, Khan said he believed there may be a better chance of peace talks with India and settling the Kashmir issue if Prime Minister Narendra Modi's BJP wins the general election.
"... I have condemned the statement of Imran Khan. He has no right whatsoever to interfere in the electoral process of a great country like India," Owaisi said.
The AIMIM leader, who is seeking re-election from Hyderabad, was speaking after casting his vote at a polling booth here under the Chevella parliamentary constituency.
Responding to a question on Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao receiving a notice from the Election Commission for allegedly making controversial remarks, Owaisi said he was "surprised" that Modi did not get one.
"I was very surprised. The prime minister should have got a notice when he equated terrorism with one religion," he said.
Owaisi, whose All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen is an ally of Rao's ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi, said he hoped that the chief minister would give a satisfactory response to the EC's notice.
The EC has issued a show cause notice to Rao, finding him prima facie guilty of allegedly passing derogatory remarks against Hindus while addressing an election rally in Karimnagar last month.
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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.
