BJP fields Raghuraj Singh Shakya against SP's Dimple Yadav in Mainpuri bypoll
New Delhi (PTI): The BJP on Tuesday named Raghuraj Singh Shakya, a former MP, as its candidate for the Lok Sabha bypoll to Mainpuri against Samajwadi Party's Dimple Yadav.
Shakya was once a close associate of Shivpal Yadav but quit his Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party to join the BJP earlier this year. He was earlier in the Samajwadi Party (SP) and sided with Shivpal Yadav after he formed his own party.
The bypoll has been necessitated due to the death of SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav, and Mainpuri has long been a pocket borough of his family.
However, the BJP successfully breached the SP's citadels of Azamgarh and Rampur Lok Sabha seats recently and is hoping to do the same in Mainpuri.
Divisions in the Yadav clan due to Shivpal Yadav's fallout with his nephew and SP president Akhilesh Yadav have added to the BJP's hope as the senior Yadav enjoys some influence in Mainpuri.
The BJP also named its nominees for the bypolls to two assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh and one each in Bihar, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh.
It has fielded Rajkumari Saini and Akash Saxena from Khatauli and Rampur respectively, Kedar Prasad Gupta from Kurhani in Bihar, Ashok Kumar Pincha from Sardarshahar in Rajasthan and Brahmanand Netam from Bhanupratappur in Chhattisgarh.
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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.
