Doctor whose naqab was removed by Nitish Kumar will join duty in Bihar: Official
Patna (PTI): Amid rumours that a doctor has declined a government job in Bihar after her naqab (veil) was removed by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar during a programme here, an official concerned on Friday claimed that she will join duty.
Dr Mahfoozur Rahman, principal of the Government Tibbi College and Hospital here, told PTI that AYUSH doctor Nusrat Parveen’s family has confirmed that she will join duty on Saturday.
"I spoke to Parveen's husband, relatives and her classmates. They told me that she would join duty on December 20. She has to first join the Government Tibbi College and Hospital, and later she will be shifted to her place of posting. Her family members and classmates have assured me that she would join duty," Rahman said.
The incident, a video clip of which has been circulated widely and sparked a major political row, took place on Monday at the chief minister’s secretariat in Patna when Ayush doctors had gathered to receive their letters of appointment. When the woman came up for her letter, Kumar saw her 'naqab', said “what is this” and then removed the veil.
Following this, there were rumours that Parveen declined the job.
The incident has drawn criticism from far and wide, including several West Asian countries, and Kumar, also the JD(U) president, has been facing accusations of disrespecting Muslims traditions allegedly in line with the 'RSS agenda'.
Bihar Minister Dilip Jaiswal on Friday said, "A controversy is being created unnecessarily over the issue. The NDA government under the leadership of Nitish Kumar ji has taken several steps for the empowerment of women in the state."
Meanwhile, the CM has reportedly received a threat from a Pakistan-based man over the naqab controversy. The Cyber police station in Patna has registered a case.
DGP Vinay Kumar on Thursday told reporters that the case has been handed over to Patna Inspector General of Police.
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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.
