13 killed in pharma company fire accident in Andhra Pradesh
Atchutapuram (Andhra Pradesh), Aug 21: The death toll in the fire accident at a pharmaceutical unit here on Wednesday rose to 13, officials said.
Anakapalli District Collector Vijaya Krishnan said the fire broke out at 2:15 pm at Escientia Advanced Sciences Pvt Ltd at Atchutapuram in Anakapalli district.
“The factory operates with 381 employees in two shifts. The blast occurred during lunch time. Therefore, staff presence was less, Krishnan told PTI, adding that the explosion is suspected to be electricity-related.
As many as 33 injured people were shifted to different hospitals in Anakapalli and Atchutapuram while the Fire Department is engaged in rescue operations, deploying six fire tenders.
Further, the collector said 13 people trapped in the unit were rescued.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu expressed grief over the loss of lives.
The CM assured that the government will stand by the families of the workers who died, said an official press release.
Escientia Advanced Sciences, which manufactures intermediate chemicals and active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) commenced production in April 2019 with an investment of Rs 200 crore.
It is located in a 40-acre campus in the Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corporation's (APIIC) multi-product special economic zone (SEZ) at Atchutapuram cluster.
Reactor explosion at Escientia Chemical Factory in Rambilli, #Anakapalle district. Flames engulf the factory, injuring around 50 workers. Injured are being transferred to a nearby hospital@NewIndianXpress pic.twitter.com/MnqTjyBiNe
— TNIE Andhra Pradesh (@xpressandhra) August 21, 2024
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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.
