Manipur: Curfew relaxation period increased by one hour in twin Imphal districts
Imphal (PTI): The Manipur government has extended the curfew relaxation period by one hour in Imphal East and West districts in view of improvement in law and order situation, an official statement said.
The curfew relaxation period in the twin Imphal districts was now from 5 am to 8 pm.
Separate orders issued by the office of the district magistrates of the two districts said that "there is a considerable improvement in law and order and there is a need to relax the restriction of movement to facilitate general public to purchase essential items including medicines and food items".
The curfew relaxation period in other valley districts of Thoubal, Kakching and Bishnupur remained unchanged from 5 am to 5 pm.
A separate press release issued by the Manipur Police Control Room stated that the "situation in the state was still volatile and tense but under control" and that "security forces conducted search operations in the vulnerable and fringe areas of the state".
Meanwhile, Kom Union Manipur president Serto Ahao Kom (45) was hospitalised after being physically assaulted by militants near Chingphei village in Churachandpur district on late on Tuesday, officials said.
Serto, who was undergoing treatment at a hospital in Imphal, told reporters that militants accused him of having links with Meitei bodies such as Arambai Tengol, Meitei Leepun and COCOMI.
More than 160 people lost their lives and several hundreds were injured since the ethnic clashes broke out in Manipur on May 3, after a 'Tribal Solidarity March' was organised in the hill districts to protest against the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.
Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of Manipur's population and live mostly in the Imphal Valley. Tribals -- Nagas and Kukis -- constitute little over 40 per cent and reside in the hill districts.
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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.
