Will not share any public platform with Mamata over RG Kar impasse: Bengal Guv
Kolkata (PTI): West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose on Thursday said he will not share any public platform with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in view of people's outcry over the RG Kar hospital impasse.
In a video message, Bose also said he will also socially boycott the chief minister.
"I will not be sharing any public platform with the chief minister. I will take proactive steps against her for violating Constitutional provisions. My role as the Governor will be confined to the Constitutional obligations," Bose said.
The governor's message came after the proposed meeting between the chief minister and the agitating junior doctors did not take place earlier in the day.
The medics, even after reaching the gates of the state secretariat Nabanna, refused to hold talks with the state government unless their demand for live streaming of the meeting to resolve the RG Kar hospital impasse was met. The Mamata Banerjee government did not allow live-streaming but said the proceedings could be video-recorded, an option rejected by the medics.
"I have been flooded with questions and representations from various sections of the public of what action the Governor is proposing to end the present crisis in Bengal. I stand committed to the people of Bengal," the governor said.
Bose reiterated his commitment to the parents of the RG Kar hospital doctor who was raped and murdered and also to those who are demonstrating for justice.
"In my assessment, the government has failed in its duties. The home minister has failed in her responsibility to maintain law and order," he added.
The chief minister is in charge of the home and health departments.
"The health minister has miserably failed in containing the liquidation in the medical system in the state. It is an irony that the health minister is the home minister who is also the CM who is protesting instead of protecting. There is violence in the streets, in homes, in campus, in hospitals, in villages, in the cities. Violence is everywhere and people are silent," Bose said.
The governor said he has been issuing instructions under Article 167 of the Constitution to the chief minister for compliance.
He said he had asked Banerjee to hold an emergency Cabinet meeting in the wake of the RG Kar Hospital impasse.
The governor has also asked for a white paper on the government's alleged financial mismanagement.
However, these instructions were not followed.
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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.
