PM, Union ministers, Priyanka Gandhi, others meet Speaker Birla after Lok Sabha adjourned sine die
New Delhi (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, NCP-SP's Supriya Sule and other leaders met Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla in his chamber after the Winter Session of Parliament was adjourned sine die on Friday.
The leaders thanked Birla for the conduct of the session.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Union Ministers K Ram Mohan Naidu, Rajiv Ranjan Singh 'Lalan', Chirag Paswan, and Pralhad Joshi joined the Speaker over tea.
"After the conclusion of the sixth session of the 18th Lok Sabha, a pleasant conversation took place with the Honourable Prime Minister Narendra Modi and esteemed leaders of all parties," Birla said in a post on X.
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The Winter Session of Parliament began on December 1 and concluded on Friday, with the Lok Sabha sittings for a cumulative duration of 92 hours and 25 minutes, marking 111 per cent productivity.
Ten government bills were introduced, and eight bills were passed, including those for reforms in the civil nuclear, insurance, and healthcare sectors, among others.
Parliament also passed a bill to replace the MGNREGA rural jobs scheme with the Viksit Bharat - Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Bill.
The Lok Sabha also passed the Supplementary Demands for Grants – First Batch, 2025–26 and the Appropriation (No. 4) Bill. The Prime Minister initiated a discussion to commemorate the completion of 150 years of the national song "Vande Mataram". The House discussed the subject for 11 hours and 32 minutes, during which 65 Members participated.
Similarly, the issue of Electoral Reforms was discussed on December 9 and 10 for approximately 13 hours, with the participation of 63 members.
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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.
