India to be free of Naxal menace by 2026, time for final assault: Amit Shah
Raipur, Aug 24: India will be free from Left Wing Extremism (LWE) by March 2026 and a strong and ruthless strategy is required for the final assault against the menace, Union Home Minister Amit Shah asserted on Saturday.
The minister stated this during a press conference here after he along with Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai and senior central and police officers reviewed the Maoist issue in the state and adjoining areas.
Urging Naxals to shun violence, Shah announced that the Chhattisgarh government would announce a "new look" surrender policy in 1-2 months.
"A strong and ruthless strategy is required for launching the last assault against Naxals," he said.
The home minister said Naxal violence is a challenge to democracy and the menace has claimed about 17,000 lives in the country.
He said there was a 53 per cent drop in Naxal incidents during 2014-24 as compared to 2004-14.
It is time to deal the final blow to the problem of Left Wing Extremism with a strong strategy, Shah said.
The minister said the government has been working to fill the security vacuum in LWE-hit areas and the security personnel have undertaken operations along with development works.
He said that besides the security forces, central agencies like NIA and ED have also worked to dismantle Maoist finances.
"We believe we will be able to free the country from Left Wing Extremism by March 2026," Shah said.
Asked about the now-scrapped Article 370, which gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir, the home minister said that the provision will not be restored ever.
On the probability of starting the delayed decadal census, Shah said it would be carried out at an appropriate time.
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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.
