Centre approves Sisodia's request to visit Moscow
New Delhi: The Union government on Tuesday approved Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia's request to go to Moscow to speak about education reforms in the national capital, hours after he complained that his visit was not being okayed.
"Finally, GoI (Government of India) gave permission which was pending since 10 days, for World Education Conference. It would be my privilege to represent India's knowledge legacy in front of world's education ministers and help them know how it can help in making the world a better place to live," Sisodia tweeted.
Earlier in the day, the Aam Aadmi Party leader said that the Centre had not given him the permission to go to Moscow as Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not want the Delhi government's work in education to reach an international platform.
In a series of tweets, Sisodia said his request had been "under process" for 10 days.
"I was invited to speak about Delhi education reforms at the World Education Conference, Moscow. I was supposed to leave tonight but it's unfortunate that Government of India has not given the permission. It's been 'under process' from last 10 days.
"Delhi's education reforms have been getting international press coverage in past few months. It's unfortunate that PM Modi doesn't want this to reach international platforms.
"Delhi is also part of India! If our schools get international recognition, it's a matter of pride for India!" he added.
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.
