Karnataka CM Yediyurappa directs officials to prepare Mekedatu project action plan
Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa has directed officials to prepare the action plan for the Mekedatu project at the earliest, which is vital for the state, Home, Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Basavaraj Bommai said here on Wednesday.
This weekend Yediyurappa will hold a meeting with legal experts and technical experts on preparing the action plan for the project, Bommai told reporters.
"There is only a miscellaneous application pending in the Supreme Court with regard to the Mekedatu scheme.
The Chief Minister is going to convene a meeting this weekend. We will discuss with legal experts about the necessary approvals required and how to proceed further," he said.
Emphasising that the project is important for the state, Bommai said it will play a key role in Cauvery water management in future.
This will be a parallel dam to supply water during a water crisis.
The Mekedatu project has become a bone of contention between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, who often flag the issue of Cauvery water sharing whenever there is shortage in rainfall in the catchment areas of the river, which originates in Kodagu district in Karnataka and courses through Tamil Nadu.
Recently, Yediyurappa wrote to his Tamil Nadu counterpart M K Stalin, urging him not to oppose the project as it will benefit both states.
In response, Stalin requested Yediyurappa not to pursue the Mekedatu project, saying that it would "impound and divert" the uncontrolled water flow due to Tamil Nadu from Kabini sub-basin, the catchment area below Krishnarajasagar Dam, and also from Simsha, Arkavathy and Suvarnavathi sub- basins, besides other small streams.
To a question on when the monsoon session of the Karnataka legislature would be held, Bommai said it had not yet been decided, but he would discuss it with Yediyurappa.
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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.
