Flood situation in Tripura improves as rain stops, death toll rises to 24
Centre approves release of Rs 40 cr to Tripura as flood relief
Agartala, Aug 23: Two more persons died in rain-related incidents in Tripura on Friday even as the overall flood situation improved, a senior official said.
With these deaths, since Monday 24 people have lost their lives in the flood and landslides, he said.
Addressing a press conference, Disaster Management Secretary Brijesh Pandey said the overall flood situation in the northeastern state improved in the last 24 hours as the rains stopped but Gomati river was still flowing above the danger level at Sonamura in Sepahijala district.
The rains have caused extensive damage to roads, power infrastructure, agriculture, properties and livestock, which is estimated to be around Rs 5,000 crore, he said.
A total of 1,28,00 people have taken shelter in 558 relief camps, he said.
Food packets were being distributed among the flood-hit people in Amarpur and Karbook subdivisions of Gomati district by helicopters as road connectivity was not yet restored, he added.
Pandey said Chief Minister Manik Saha conducted an aerial survey of South Tripura and Gomati districts during the day to assess the damage caused by the floods.
"The chief minister also inspected some relief camps and spoke to the people living there," he said.
Two persons who went missing in the floods are yet to be found, he added.
Pandey said the weather office has forecast medium to heavy rainfall on Saturday.
"We would like to alert the people following the weather forecast for Saturday. The government is ready to meet any eventuality," he said.
PWD secretary Kiran Gitte said the flood has caused extensive damage to roads in the state.
"Major cracks occurred on NH-8 at Mugiakami in Khowai district. Vehicular movement has been suspended and traffic has been diverted. The restoration works will be completed by the next 48 hours," he said.
Road connectivity has been restored in most subdivisions, and repair works will be completed in Karbook and Amarpur subdivisions in Gomati district soon, he added.
Gitte, who is also the health secretary, said government doctors have been asked not to leave the station for the next three days amid fear of water-borne diseases.
The Centre has approved the release of Rs 40 crore for flood-hit Tripura, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said.
Shah said 11 teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), three columns of the Army and four helicopters of the Indian Air Force have been deployed by the Centre for assisting the state government in flood relief and rescue operations.
"Given the flood situation in Tripura, the central govt, under the leadership of Modi Ji, has approved the release of 40 crore in advance, as the central share from SDRF (State Disaster Response Fund), to provide relief to the affected people," he wrote on 'X'.
Given the flood situation in Tripura, the central govt, under the leadership of Modi Ji, has approved the release of ₹40 crore in advance, as the central share from SDRF, to provide relief to the affected people. The 11 NDRF teams, 3 columns of the Army, and 4 helicopters of the…
— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) August 23, 2024
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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.
