PM Modi's niece fails to get BJP ticket to contest civic polls
Ahmedabad, Feb 4: Prime Minister Narendra Modi's niece Sonal Modi, who had sought BJP nomination to contest the Ahmedabad civic body polls, on Thursday failed to get a ticket with the party citing new rules for candidates.
The BJP announced its candidates for the upcoming elections to the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC), but Sonal Modi's name does not figure in the list.
Talking to reporters on Tuesday, Sonal Modi had said she has sought BJP ticket to contest from Bodakdev ward of the AMC.
Sonal Modi, a homemaker in her late 30s, is the daughter of PM Modi's brother Prahlad Modi, who owns a fair price shop in the city and is also the president of Gujarat Fair Price Shops Association.
The BJP list released late in the evening on Thursday does not have the name of Sonal Modi as the candidate from Bodakdev or any other ward of the AMC.
Rules are same for everybody, state BJP president C R Paatil said when asked about denial of ticket to Sonal Modi.
The Gujarat BJP recently announced that relatives of party leaders will not be considered for ticket allocation for the upcoming polls.
Sonal Modi had, however, claimed she had sought election ticket as a BJP worker, not as the niece of the PM.
"I have sought the ticket in my capacity as a BJP worker not as a relative of the PM. Even if I am not given the ticket, I will remain active in the party as a dedicated worker, Sonal Modi had told reporters.
Prahlad Modi had justified his daughter's decision, saying all his family members are free to take their own decisions.
"This is not a case of nepotism. My family never used Narendra Modi's name for our benefit. We all earn our own bread and butter.
"Even I run a ration shop. I have not visited Narendra Modi's bungalow after he became the PM, let alone my children," Prahlad Modi had said.
The BJP's state parliamentary board on Thursday finalised candidates for the six municipal corporations.
A list of 576 BJP candidates for the poll-bound corporations Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara, Rajkot, Jamnagar and Bhavnagar was released.
On February 1, the BJP had said it will not give tickets to relatives of ruling party leaders.
Also, the BJP had said it will not consider party workers who are above the age of 60 and those who have finished three terms as councillors for tickets.
Elections to the half-a-dozen municipal corporations will take place on February 21, while voting for 81 municipalities, 31 district panchayats and 231 taluka panchayats will be held on February 28.
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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.
