Everyone is human: Ganguly on Dhoni's on-field argument with umpires
Kolkata: Former India captain Sourav Ganguly defended Mahendra Singh Dhoni's on-field confrontation with umpires during an IPL game, saying 'everyone is human'.
In a rare instance, Chennai Super Kings' skipper Dhoni, who was not even meant to be on the field of play, lost his cool and rushed out of the dug-out to challenge umpire Ulhas Gandhe after he flip-flopped on a no ball during the IPL encounter against Rajasthan Royals on Thursday night.
"Everyone is human. What stands out is his competitiveness. It's remarkable," was all Ganguly said when asked about the controversy.
Dhoni escaped a ban and was let off with a 50 per cent fine on his match fee for an unprecedented confrontation with the umpires but the former cricketers came down heavily on India's two-time World Cup winning captain for his act, saying he set a wrong precedent.
Meanwhile, Ganguly, serving as advisor of Delhi Capitals team, had a smile on his face after the visitors posted a seven-wicket victory over hosts Kolkata Knight Riders at the Eden Gardens here on Friday night.
"Two out of two against such a good team is outstanding. I am very satisfied," he said.
Delhi had earlier won the first-leg at home.
Ganguly added, "Everything at Eden is special. This is the best ground, the bet pitch in the country."
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
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.
