Had existing farm laws been beneficial, many farmers would not have committed suicide: BJP leader
Shimla: Defending the Centre's new farm laws, BJP Kisan Morcha national spokesman Kamal Soi said that had the existing legislations been beneficial for farmers, so many of them would not have committed suicide.
Talking to PTI during his visit to Shimla on Friday, he said, "In Punjab, 700 to 800 farmers commit suicide in a year."
A resident of Ludhiana district in Punjab, Soi further stated that 95 per cent agricultural land in his state has been mortgaged to banks as farmers are under the burden of Rs 125 lakh crore debt.
Had existing farm laws been beneficial for the farmers, so many of them would not have committed suicide facing burden of huge bank loans.
That is why the Union government enacted the three new farm laws for the benefits of the farmers but they are being misled, he said.
Soi said he had difference of opinions with the agitating farmers but he went to the Singhu border in December and distributed 500 jackets and other items to them on humanitarian grounds.
The BJP Kisan Morcha national spokesperson urged the agitating farm leaders not to remain adamant on their demand for repeal of the new laws and to help reach a solution to the ongoing agitation.
Thousands of farmers have been protesting at Delhi's borders with Haryana and Uttar Pradesh demanding the rollback of the Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020 and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.
The protesting farmers have expressed apprehension that these laws would pave the way for the dismantling of the minimum support price system, leaving them at the "mercy" of big corporations.
However, the government has maintained that the new laws will bring farmers better opportunities and usher in new technologies in agriculture.
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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.
