Don't have such visions, says Rahul on prime ministership
London, Aug 26 : Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Saturday said he does not have any vision of becoming the prime minister and noted that the question of leadership will be decided only after the 2019 Lok Sabha election.
"Conversations (with the Opposition parties) on leadership, are going to happen after the elections, after we have pushed BJP and the RSS back," Gandhi said during his interaction with the Indian Journalists' Association here.
On being asked about alliances in West Bengal, Gandhi said: "You are asking me strategic questions. We are working out a broad coalition. In Bengal, we have an organisation. I tend towards asking my unit in Bengal and letting them decide. We are having those conversations. So, it's not decided yet."
"But the emphasis is... and there is a consensus among pretty much all leaders of the Opposition that the RSS is threatening the institutional order of India. They are systematically attacking organisations, and putting their people into them," he added.
"Four judges of Supreme Court have come out and said it that they were not allowed to work and they named the Loya case. We are defending that line," he also said.
Asked if he saw himself as the prime minister in 2019, Gandhi said: "I don't have these visions. I don't see myself... I view myself fighting an ideological battle. This is really the change that has come in me after 2014."
"I realised after 2014 that there is a risk to the Indian state, to the Indian way of doing things. I am defending that... how do I defend Indian institutional structures," he added.
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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.
