Day after MGP split, Ajgaonkar made Goa deputy CM
Panaji: A day after Goa Tourism minister Manohar Ajgaonkar broke away from the MGP and joined the BJP, he was Thursday designated as the Deputy Chief Minister of the state.
Ajgaonkar is now the second deputy chief minister along with Goa Forward Party (GFP) leader and state minister Vijai Sardesai.
State Joint Secretary (General Administration) Varsha Naik issued an order designating Ajgaonkar as the Deputy Chief Minister.
"The government is pleased to designate Vijai Sardesai, minister and Manohar Ajgaonkar, minister as the Deputy Chief Minister with immediate effect," it said.
Early on Wednesday, Ajgaonkar and another Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) MLA Dipak Pawaskar had merged their party's legislative wing with the BJP.
They had given a letter to merge the MGP legislature party with the BJP to officiating Goa Assembly Speaker Michael Lobo at 1.45 am on Wednesday. However, Sudin Dhavalikar, the third MGP MLA, did not sign the letter.
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant Wednesday dropped Dhavalikar, who was earlier appointed as the deputy chief minister, from the state cabinet and inducted another BJP MLA Dipak Pawaskar in a late-night ceremony.
Sawant had claimed that he had to drop Dhavalikar from the cabinet as he "failed" to adhere to the common minimum programme of the coalition government.
Ajgaonkar currently holds sports and tourism portfolios.
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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.
