Might of Indian military felt in Rawalpindi: Rajnath Singh on Operation Sindoor
New Delhi, May 11 (PTI): Under Operation Sindoor, Indian armed forces not only struck Pakistani military bases near the border but their might was even felt in Rawalpindi where the headquarters of the Pakistani Army is located, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Sunday.
He said the Indian military has punished anti-India forces and terrorists who had wiped off the vermilion of many families through the Pahalgam terror attack.
Speaking virtually at an event in Lucknow to inaugurate a BrahMos production unit, the defence minister said Operation Sindoor is not just a military action, but a symbol of India's political, social and strategic will against terrorism.
Operation Sindoor was launched on early May 7 to destroy nine terror infrastructures in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir in retaliation to the Pahalgam terror attack. All subsequent retaliations to Pakistani offensives were carried out under Operation Sindoor.
India and Pakistan on Saturday announced reaching an understanding to stop all firings and military actions on land, air and sea, with immediate effect.
Singh said the entire country is "congratulating the Indian military for success of the operation.
"This operation is a demonstration of India's strong will against terrorism and also the capability and determination of the military power," he said.
"We have shown that whenever India takes any action against terrorism, even the land across the border will not be safe for the terrorists and their masters," he said.
Singh said Indian forces launched Operation Sindoor with the aim of destroying the terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan.
"We never targeted their civilians. But Pakistan not only targeted civilian areas of India but also tried to attack temples, gurudwaras and churches," he noted.
"The Indian Army has displayed valour and courage as well as restraint and has given a befitting reply by attacking many of Pakistan's military bases," he said.
"We not only took action against the military bases near the border but the threat of Indian forces was felt even in Rawalpindi where the headquarters of the Pakistani army is located," he added.
The defence minister said the whole world saw the consequences of committing and getting terrorist incidents carried out in India.
After the Uri incident, our army entered Pakistan and carried out surgical strikes, after the Pulwama attack, we carried out Balakot air strikes, and now the world is seeing how India entered Pakistan and carried out multiple strikes following the Pahalgam attack, he said.
"Following the policy of zero tolerance against terrorism, our Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made it clear that this is the new India which will take effective action against terrorism on both sides of the border," 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.
