Lok Sabha adjourned till 2 pm amid opposition protest over Manipur
New Delhi (PTI): The Lok Sabha was adjourned till 2 pm following protests by the opposition which has been demanding a statement from Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Parliament on the Manipur issue.
When the House met at 11 am, Speaker Om Birla announced that a Parliamentary delegation from Malawi is visiting India and they were watching the proceedings of the House. He welcomed the foreign delegation and wished them a pleasant stay in the country.
As he completed his speech, the opposition members were on their feet demanding a statement from the prime minister on Manipur violence.
Soon they came to the well of the House showing placards and shouting slogans against the government. The speaker initially ignored their protests and continued the Question Hour, which was the scheduled business.
Two questions related to the Ministries of Education and Finance were taken up for discussion amidst sloganeering and protests. As the protests continued, the speaker appealed to the opposition members to go back to their seats and take part in the proceedings.
With the opposition MPs ignoring his pleas, the speaker adjourned the House till 2 pm after about 15 minutes of business.
The Manipur violence rocked proceedings in both Houses of Parliament ever since the Monsoon session began on July 20, with the opposition demanding a statement from Prime Minister Modi and a discussion on the situation in the northeastern state.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Union Home Minister Amit Shah had said that the government was ready for a debate on the Manipur issue.
The speaker had also said the opposition can't decide who would reply to the debate on behalf of the government.
The opposition subsequently moved a no-confidence motion against the Modi government, apparently aiming to force the prime minister to speak on the Manipur violence in Parliament.
The session started a day after a video of two women being paraded naked by a mob on May 4 in a Manipur village went viral, triggering a nationwide outrage.
The Manipur Police have arrested several accused who were seen in the video, officials said.
On July 27, the government decided to hand over the probe into the case of the naked parade of two women to the CBI and filed a petition in the Supreme Court saying the trial of the cases should be conducted outside the state.
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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.
