'Did not expect a Congress MP will call Mahatma Gandhi conspirator'
Anurag Thakur's remark kicks row in RS
New Delhi, Feb 11: Union minister Anurag Thakur on Thursday kicked a row in Rajya Sabha when he sought to extrapolate usage of the term 'andolanjivi' by a Congress MP for Mahatma Gandhi, to ask if the Father of the Nation was a "shariantkari" (conspirator).
KC Venugopal of the Congress while participating in the discussion on Budget for 2021-22 referred to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's comment of 'andolanjivi' for farmers protest.
Noting that the nation got freedom from the British through 'andolans' (protests), he said by that logic Mahatma Gandhi should have been the biggest 'andolanjivi'.
Intervening in the debate soon after Venugopal finished speaking, Thakur said criticism is fine but "I had not expected that a Congress MP and office-bearer will call Mahatma Gandhi a shariantkari (conspirator). Nothing can be more unfortunate than that."
Congress members immediately protested no one called Gandhi conspirator.
They rushed into the well of the House demanding an apology from Thakur.
Bhubanesar Kalita, who was in the chair, said he will examine the records and will expunge any word that is unparliamentary.
But the Congress members were not satisfied and continued to protest.
Amid protests, Thakur, who is minister of state for finance, continued to make his statement saying the Budget for the fiscal year beginning April 1 is one for new India which has made higher provisions for departments such as social justice and empowerment and women and child development.
He went on to state that the Budget was for Aatmanirbhar Bharat which has been cheered by all as reflected in the stock market rising for days post its presentation.
Kalita asked Congress members to go back to their seats but they continued to protest.
He asked Thakur to conclude as the allocated time for the sitting of the House was getting over.
Thakur, who had begun speaking just a few minutes before the scheduled time was to end at 15.00 Hrs, ended and proceedings were adjourned for the day.
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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.
