Host protesting farmers at your house like you treated Obama: Asaduddin Owaisi to PM
Bharuch, Feb 7: AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Sunday asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to invite protesting farmers to his residence like he had hosted then US president Barack Obama, and repeal the new farm laws.
Addressing a rally for upcoming polls to local bodies in Gujarat, the Hyderabad MP also asked the prime minister to be "large-hearted" and "understand pains" of the farmers, who have been protesting at borders of Delhi over the last two months demanding scrapping of the agri marketing legislations.
Owaisi-led All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen is contesting maiden elections in Gujarat--in Ahmedabad and Bharuch-- in alliance with the Bhartiya Tribal Party (BTP)
"The way the farmers are being treated is not right.
It is wrong. The Prime Minister should invite the farmers to his residence like he had offered tea to (then US President) Barack Obama with his own hand (in 2015), which is fine as he was our guest. We expect the PM to invite the farmers, offer them tea and biscuits and tell them the (agri marketing) laws are being repealed, and that they should be happy," Owaisi said.
Owaisi said the PM should understand the plight of agriculturists who feed the country, if he claims to have risen from poverty.
"When a poor person weeps out of helplessness, then nature tells us to help the poor, but those who have no sympathy for the poor, they remain unaffected by tears of the poor. We are with farmers, they are our'annadatas', they work hard to get us food," he said.
Taking a dig, Owaisi said the massive protest by farmers has "disturbed sleep" of PM Modi.
"They came out in thousands, shouted slogans, and took out a tractor rally in Delhi (on January 26). The BJP, with 300 MPs, is worried about how to tackle farmers," he said.
With BTP leader Chhotu Vasava by his side, Owaisi made a strong pitch for the unity among tribals, Muslims, Dalits and OBCs in Gujarat.
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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.
