Onam is almost washed away by Kerala floods
Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 24 : Onam, Kerala's most important festival, will see subdued celebrations on Saturday in the state and whereever Keralities live due to the terrible misery heaped by the worst floods in nearly a century.
With the Kerala government cancelling the official Onam festivities, ostentatious celebrations are ruled out.
Reports of cancellation of Onam events by Kerala expatriates are pouring in from the Middle East and other countries.
This is probably the first time the government has axed the Onam celebrations. The Rs 30 crore earmarked for state-sponsored festivities has been diverted for relief work.
Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran, who was overseeing the Onam festivities, said: "This tragedy has damaged our state immensely. Lakhs continue to suffer. Many people have lost their life-long savings... So Onam celebrations organised by the state are out of question."
Sarala Devi, a retired government official near Thiruvalla, one of the worst-hit areas, said she was sure no one would be in a mood to go for Onam celebrations this year.
"One has been witnessing on TV the huge loss of lives and destruction caused by the floods. I doubt if anyone will be able to enjoy the traditional sumptuous Onam 'sadya' (lunch) after all this," she said.
The 26-dish Onam 'sadya' is normally served in every Kerala household on the three days Onam is celebrated.
Flower sellers on the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border say their business has been hit hard.
"Even in Thiruvananthapuram, which has not been much affected by floods, people are not coming to buy flowers," a retailer said.
At best, those who escaped the flood fury -- which has claimed some 370 lives, displaced hundreds of thousands and caused unprecedented destruction -- may mark Onam in their homes but on a subdued scale.
Amid the gloom, volunteers are trying to cheer up the survivors. Those managing the 3,000 relief camps plan to serve at least a decent Onam lunch to nearly one million persons lodged in the camps.
"Onam provides a sense of unity as everyone celebrates the festival. However, this time too there is 'unity' but it is about people coming out in huge numbers to help those affected by floods," Cardinal Moran Mar Baselios Cleemis Catholicos, head of the city-headquartered Syro Malankara Catholic Church, told IANS.
Onam celebrations normally start on 'Atham' day, 10 days before 'Thiruonam' (which falls on August 25). This year, on that day, Kerala was grappling with torrential rains and extensive flooding.
The harvest festival sees three important days - the first Onam falls on Friday (today), followed by Thiruonam on Saturday and the third on Sunday.
According to legend, Kerala witnessed its golden period during the reign of King Mahabali. Onam is celebrated to mark King Mahabali's annual visit to see his subjects.
"I am 93... I cannot recall any year when the Onam festivities were called off. I also cannot recall any tragedy of this magnitude ever hitting Kerala," a retired teacher told IANS.
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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.
