Karnataka: BJP government’s help to Covid victims is still on paper only: D.K. Shivakumar
Bijapur: Accusing the BJP government led by Chief Minister, B. S. Yediyurappa of not extending any help to Covid victims of the State, Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) President, D. K. Shivakumar has said that though the BJP government announced some compensation after the Congress exerted pressure, the announcement has not been materialized yet.
Addressing press persons in Sindgi town during his maiden visit to the district on Saturday, he said that the State Congress has launched a drive to tour the State not only to hear the grievances of people, mainly Dalits and oppressed classes but also to instill confidence among them.
“ We all know the Covid pandemic has devastated the lives of people mainly of Dalit community, Minorities and people working in the unorganized sector. Many people have lost their lives due to shortage of oxygen or beds in the hospitals after they contracted Covid. These poor people have received no help or financial aid from the BJP government. The Congress is holding a state-wide tour to hear their grievances to help them in all possible manner”, he said.
Mentioning about the plight of Dalits, he said that on the one hand they have suffered extensively because of the Covid, on the other, they still are facing long pending issues such as regularization of their cultivable land etc.
Later participating in an interaction session with Dalits, he again raised the issue of Covid and its effect on people. He said that over 1 crore people of the State have suffered because of the pandemic.
Praising Former Minister and Babaleshwar Congress MLA, M. B. Patil for offering affordable medical facilities to the Covid patients in his BLDE hospital, Shivakumar said that many other Congress leaders have also offered similar help.
He said that during the BJP government, neither dalits nor farmers are getting justice.
On the occasion, he allowed a few Dalit leaders to share their views. Dalit leaders alleged that the BJP government has stopped scholarship of Dalit students and no financial aid is given to them for higher education.
They announced that the Dalits are with the Congress if the party holds any event for helping the community.
A section of Dalit leaders demanded the Centre to accord National Award to Dalit writer, Siddalingaiah who passed away recently.
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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.
