We will withdraw support to Goa's BJP govt: MGP chief
Panaji, Apr 12: The Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) Friday said it would soon withdraw support to the BJP government in Goa.
The MGP has expressed support to the Congress for Lok Sabha elections and Mapusa bypoll, both of which will be held on April 23.
The MGP and Congress have fielded their candidates for the Shiroda bypoll as well.
"We have decided to withdraw support to the Pramod Sawant government. We will soon be writing to Governor Mridula Sinha," MGP president Deepak Dhavalikar said.
Dhavalikar said that the party has decided to support Congress in both the Lok Sabha seats in Goa.
Recently, two MGP MLAs Manohar Ajgaonkar and Deepak Pawaskar had left the party to join BJP, reducing the former's strength to one in the 40-member House.
The state government currently enjoys the support of 14 BJP MLAs, three from the Goa Forward Party and three Independents.
After the MGP withdraws support, the opposition benches will have 14 Congress MLAs and one each from MGP and NCP.
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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.
