Pakistan violates ceasefire hours after peace agreement, shelling reported across border districts
New Delhi: Just hours after agreeing to a full ceasefire, Pakistan has reportedly violated the peace deal with fresh shelling and air raids in several Indian border districts, including Barmer in Rajasthan and Baramulla in Jammu and Kashmir, reported Hindustan Times.
The ceasefire had been announced on Saturday by U.S. President Donald Trump, who stated that the agreement between India and Pakistan was mediated by the United States.
The ceasefire were confirmed by Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and India's External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar. Both countries had agreed to halt all military actions across land, air, and sea, on Saturday evening.
However, India clarified that the Indus Waters Treaty would remain suspended and that the existing visa ban on Pakistani nationals would continue.
In a joint press briefing held by the Ministry of External Affairs and the Ministry of Defence, Air Commodore Raghu Nair stated that despite the ceasefire agreement, India remained fully prepared to defend its sovereignty.
According to Hindustan Times, following Pakistan's renewed shelling, multiple explosions were reported across Srinagar and other border areas. Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Omar Abdullah, expressed shock at the violation, which came so soon after the peace accord.
Emergency blackouts will be reportedly enforced in Punjab’s Hoshiarpur and Ferozepur districts. The blackouts, which had earlier been cancelled following the peace announcement, were reinstated after Pakistan resumed attacks.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
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.
