No discussion on cabinet reshuffle: CM Yediyurappa
Kalaburagi, Jul 10: Amid reports about the possibility of a reshuffle of his cabinet, Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Saturday said no such discussions have taken place so far.
"No such discussions have taken place. There is no such thinking so far. When such a situation comes in the future, I will let you know.
There is no such thinking in Karnataka for now," he said in response to a question on the possibility of a cabinet rejig on the lines of the union cabinet reshuffle by dropping some senior Ministers.
During BJP national General Secretary in-charge of Karnataka Arun Singh's individual meeting with legislators last month, amid rumblings within the party on the leadership change issue, several of them had reportedly discussed about social justice and regional imbalance in the cabinet and thereby had tried to make out a case for cabinet reshuffle.
Yediyurappa had last expanded his cabinet in January, inducting seven new ministers and had also effected a reshuffle of the departments of some ministers.
There are now 33 Ministers in the state cabinet, and one berth is vacant.
The cabinet expansion in January had resulted in large- scale resentment in the party, with too many aspirants for ministerial posts.
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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.
