Any unconditional financial support should be accepted: Rahul Gandhi
Kochi, Aug 29 : Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said that any unconditional financial support from anywhere should be accepted, as it will bring solace to flood-hit Kerala.
Gandhi made the remark while speaking to reporters before beginning his second day trip to the flood-ravaged areas of the state.
He was responding to a question on India's 'rejection' of funds to the tune of $100 million offered by the UAE government for flood relief work.
"My personal opinion is any unconditional offer of funds to reduce pain and sufferings should be taken," said Gandhi.
On the question of the support from the Centre to the state, he said that it was sad that the Centre had not really supported the way Kerala wanted.
"This is Kerala's right and they should give more," said Gandhi. He said he was in the state to express his solidarity with the people who were suffering and not to do politics.
Gandhi arrived in Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday and visited half a dozen camps in the southern districts of the state, where the flood had hit hard.
Gandhi was scheduled to travel to the hilly district of Wayanad in north Kerala. However, due to bad weather it was cancelled and instead he opted to go to Idukki.
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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.
