Amritsar blast: Rs 50 lakh reward announced for information on suspects
Chandigarh, Nov 19 : Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh Monday announced a reward of Rs 50 lakh for anybody providing information on those involved in the Amritsar grenade blast that left three persons dead, officials said.
Information can be provided on the Punjab Police helpline - 181, officials said, adding the identity of the informer will be kept a secret. The chief minister will visit Amritsar later in the day, officials said.
A team of the National Investigation Agency visited the blast site Sunday night along with their investigators and explosive experts.They also held discussions with the top brass of the Punjab Police.
Three persons, including a preacher, were killed and over 20 injured when two-motorcycle borne men threw grenade on a religious congregation on the city outskirts here on Sunday, an incident which the police are treating as a terrorist act .
The incident took place inside the Nirankari Bhavan's prayer hall at Adliwal village near Amritsar's Rajasansi, police said. A religious congregation of the Nirankari followers was being conducted inside the Bhavan at the time of the incident.
The Sant Nirankari Mission is a spiritual organisation and the Bhavan here lies close to the international airport and the Indo-Pak border.
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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.
