India's reputation has taken 'massive hit': Rahul Gandhi on farmers' protest
New Delhi: Amid the ongoing farmers' protest against the new farm laws, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said India's reputation has taken a "massive hit" and its biggest strength, its soft power, has been "shattered" by the BJP and the RSS.
Addressing a press conference, he said that the farmers' issue needs to be resolved as soon as possible and the government needs to listen to them.
Asked if India's image at the international level has taken a beating with barricading at Delhi's borders where farmers are protesting and reports of treatment meted out to them, Gandhi said, "Absolutely the reputation of India has taken a massive hit. Not only on how we are treating our farmers, but on how we treat our people, how we treat journalists."
"Our biggest strength, you can call it soft power, has been shattered by the BJP-RSS, their mindset," he said.
Referring to the multi-layered barricading and roadblocks at protest sites, the former Congress chief asked why the national capital was being converted into a "fortress", and asserted that farmers work hard for the country and should not be treated in this manners
Alleging that there is no leadership in the country anymore, Gandhi said, "My constant request to the prime minister is 'do your job'. Your job is not to sell this country to one per cent of the population, your job is to protect the 'kisaan' (farmers) who are standing outside (Delhi). Go hold their hand, give them a hug and tell them 'what is it that I can do for you'."
"So the PM has basically given up, he is now on a different plane...we are going somewhere else now and the country is not being run. It is my request to the prime minister that please gather up your courage and run the country," he said.
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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.
