Revoke Suu Kyi's Congressional Gold Medal: Indian-American Congressman
Washington, Sep 12 : Indian-American Congressman Ro Khanna has said that he wants to revoke Myanmar State Counsellor Suu Kyi's Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian honour in the US, which was bestowed on her with much fanfare six years ago.
Nobel Peace Prize winner Suu Kyi has been silent as military rulers of Myanmar ravaged the Rohingyas, an ethnic minority group on the country's western border, in a brutal campaign the UN deemed "genocide".
"For Aung San Suu Kyi to not speak out and to talk about a proportionate response to terrorism is a total abdication of any morality," Khanna, a Democrat from California, was quoted as saying by the Hill newspaper.
"We should revoke the congressional medal, and beyond that she should be investigated as part of the UN's (war crimes) tribunal," he said.
While there is a growing appetite on Capitol Hill for concrete steps to press Suu Kyi to rediscover the voice of moral clarity that made her a celebrated human rights symbol, many are out of patience.
"Her leadership is unacceptable - she's turned a deaf ear - and who the hell is she kidding?" said Representative Bill Pascrell. "She came in like the Blessed Mary and she's wound up like Jezebel."
But Representative Gerry Connolly said that revoking the medal may effectively harm their cause and send "a really strong burn-your-bridge kind of message".
"If our object here is to engage her and to incentivize and encourage her to speak out, even though we understand the delicacy of the balance with the military, I'm not sure that's the best way to do it," he said.
To make their case, bipartisan coalitions in both chambers of the Congress have sent a flurry of letters to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urging tougher sanctions on the repressive Myanmar government.
One notable exception to the condemnations was Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a close friend to Suu Kyi, who says that she "simply lacks the power to rein in the violence in a country where the military elite still yield outsized authority over public policy - and could potentially knock her from power".
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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.
