Lucknow: Former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav on Friday said there would be no elections in the future if the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) return to power in 2019.

Addressing a gathering in his hometown Saifai while welcoming the ‘Samajik Nyay Yatra’ cycle rally from Ghazipur, Yadav said people should “find a drain and a ‘kadai’ (utensil) to fry ‘pakodas’ if the BJP comes back to power in 2019”.

The former chief minister said, “The government in Delhi [Centre] today is trying to kill democracy. Not just us, but many social thinkers and their friends are saying that if the BJP is voted back to power in 2019, then democracy might cease to exist in this country. There may be no elections in the future. So the entire Opposition has just one chance to save democracy in 2019.”

He added, “Looking at the statements made by BJP leaders and specially Prime Minister Narendra Modi, it seems there is no one more backward than him. He always claims that he comes from a backward community. If he is backward, then we are definitely more backward than him.

“The BJP has poisoned the atmosphere of the country by indulging in caste politics. People have seen both the Centre and state BJP governments and it must be quite clear to them that both have done nothing concrete.”

Yadav said 2019 was “an exam and if we fail in our exam, then we must look for a naali (drain) and kadhai as we will have to fry pakodas together then”.

He said the BJP wanted to take the country back, while “we want the progress of our nation. We all should also understand that 2019 will also pave way for 2022. The BJP will try to take votes by conspiring and misguiding but we will have to be vigilant”.

Taking potshots at the recent statement made by Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath on the issue of excessive sugarcane produce, Yadav said: “Our chief minister is also an amazing doctor, without any kind of tests he can tell you that diabetes is caused by excessive sugarcane produce.”

Courtesy: www.news18.com

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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.