Ganga more polluted under Modi: Congress
New Delhi, Aug 24 : The Congress on Friday targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi for "betraying the people of Varanasi" by failing to clean Ganga as promised, saying that pollution level in the river has increased after 2014.
"People of Varanasi, people of the Gangetic plains and Ma Ganga shall never forgive and forget how PM Shri Narendra Modi has betrayed them. Only few months are left and people of India shall give a befitting reply to the BJP," Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi said in a statement.
Citing the RTI reply and a Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report for 2016-17, senior Congress leader also stated that the pollution levels in Ganga are higher than the levels recorded back in 2014 after Modi launched "Namami Gange" programme -- an initiative to clean the river.
"Particularly in PM Modi's constituency, Varanasi, lab tests have found that bacterial contamination is now higher than the levels recorded back in 2014," he further added.
Singhvi said that the government has been completely neglecting how sewage and carcasses are disposed of in the river.
"The slurries, gurgle dark black sewage into the Ganga, littered with plastics, carcasses and trash, the indescribable stink kicks up from this toxic cocktail that also hides germs passed through human and animal excrement in Varanasi sings the sordid saga of utter neglect by the Modi Government," he stated.
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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.
