Rahul Gandhi files nomination from Amethi
Amethi (UP): Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday filed his nomination for the Lok Sabha elections from this constituency with his entire family looking on.
His mother Sonia Gandhi, sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and brother-in-law Robert Vadra were with him in the Collectorate when he filed his papers.
The three-term MP will take on Union minister and BJP candidate Smriti Irani in what is seen as a direct contest with the SP-BSP-RLD alliance taking the decision to not filed any candidate from the constituency, seen as a Congress bastion.
Rahul Gandhi reached the Collectorate to file his papers after a roadshow through the town.
It was the Gandhi family's show of strength with the Congress president flanked by his sister, brother-in-law and their two children in the open truck.
Surging crowds of Congress supporters walked along as the truck made its way to the Collectorate. UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi was not part of the roadshow but reached the Collectorate to back her son.
Rahul Gandhi is also contesting from Wayanad in Kerala. He filed his nomination papers from there on April 4. Amethi goes to the polls on May 6 in the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha elections, which begin on Thursday.
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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.
