NC, Congress finalise division of seats for J&K assembly polls
Srinagar, Aug 26: The National Conference (NC) and the Congress Monday agreed to contest 51 and 32 seats respectively for the assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir.
One seat each has been allotted to the CPI(M) and the Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party (JKNPP), the allies announced at a joint press conference at NC president Farooq Abdullah's residence here after day-long negotiations.
According to their seat-sharing formula, the NC will contest 51 seats in J-K and the Congress 32.
They also said there will be a "friendly contest" on five seats of the Union Territory.
The leaders said the list of seats each party will be contesting, as well as the names of the candidates, will be issued later.
The NC president said the alliance is up for a fight against the powers "who are dividing the people not just in this state, but across the country."
"The INDIA bloc was made with an aim to fight those forces who are trying to create a communal divide in the country. Today, I am happy that the negotiations (over the alliance) have been concluded. They took place in a cordial atmosphere," Abdullah said.
AICC general secretary K C Venugopal, said the two parties are aiming to protect the "soul" of J-K and the country.
"The BJP is trying to destroy the soul of J-K. Our INDIA alliance aims to save the soul of J-K. That is why the Congress and NC are coming together to form a government in J-K which is totally friendly with the people of J-K," he said.
Venugopal also said the BJP has no moral right to criticise the NC manifesto, as it had earlier done.
"BJP had an alliance with NC earlier, they also had an alliance with the PDP. The same old NC is still NC and the same old PDP is still PDP. They had alliances with both the parties with the same programme," he said.
"Every political party has their programme, manifesto and promises. We have our own promises and manifesto. When we will form the government, there will be a common minimum programme," he added.
The politician said the people of J-K have been "cheated" by the BJP.
"We have never seen a state being downgraded to a UT. That is why the people want a BJP-free government in J-K. people are suffering because of their divisive agenda and policies, unemployment. Their only agenda is to divide the people.
"We believe in unity, in the progress of the people, employment of the youth," the Congress general secretary 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.
