Archbishop Andrews Thazhath reelected President of Catholic Bishops' Conference of India
Bengaluru, Feb 6: The Catholic Bishops' Conference of India (CBCI) on Tuesday said Archbishop Andrews Thazhath of Thrissur in Kerala has been re-elected as its President.
On the sixth day of the General Body Meeting here, the CBCI also announced Archbishop George Antonysamy of Madras-Maylapore as Vice-President I, and Bishop Joseph Mar Thomas of Bathery as Vice President II.
The Bishops also elected Archbishop Anil Joseph Tomas Couto of Delhi as its Secretary General, it said.
"Couto's extensive background in pastoral care and his proactive engagement in social issues align closely with the CBCI's objectives of promoting social justice and community welfare."
The term of the leadership will be from 2024-2026, CBCI said in a release.
Expressing gratitude for the opportunity to serve in their respective roles, the President, Vice Presidents and the Secretary General affirmed their commitment to upholding the values of compassion, solidarity, and service, it added.
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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.
