Jharkhand minister offers job, flat to Bihar doctor after naqab row
Ranchi (PTI): Jharkhand Health Minister Irfan Ansari on Saturday said he has offered a job with Rs 3 lakh monthly salary, a government flat and desired posting to a woman doctor from Bihar following the naqab controversy during distribution of appointment letters.
Ansari alleged that Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar tried to demean naqab and the Muslim community by removing the veil of a woman.
"I have invited the woman doctor to Jharkhand and offered her a job with Rs 3 lakh monthly salary, a flat, desired posting and full security," he told reporters in Jamtara.
"The way a doctor and a woman was humiliated and treated with indecency by pulling her naqab is not merely an attack on one individual but a direct assault on human dignity, honour and the Constitution itself," he said.
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The incident, a video clip of which has been circulated widely and sparked a major political row, took place on Monday at the chief minister's secretariat in Patna when Ayush doctors had gathered to receive their letters of appointment. When the woman came up for her letter, Kumar saw her naqab, said "what is this?", and then removed the veil.
Meanwhile, a social worker filed a police complaint against Kumar over the incident, an officer said on Saturday.
Mohammad Murtaza Alam, along with some villagers, submitted the complaint with Itki police station on Thursday, he said.
Manish Kumar, officer-in-charge of Itki police station, told PTI that the complaint was filed on the basis of a video purportedly showing Kumar pulling off the naqab of the woman doctor.
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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.
