Raipur (PTI): Thirteen people, all women and children, died, and 14 were injured in a collision between a trailer and a goods truck in Raipur, Chhattisgarh, police said on Monday.

Four children and nine women died in the accident that took place late Sunday night near Saragaon on Raipur-Balodabazar road in Raipur district.

Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai has announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh each to the families of the deceased.

Raipur Senior Superintendent of Police Lal Umed Singh said 35 persons, mostly members of a family, were returning from a family function in Bana-Bansari village when the goods truck they were travelling in collided with a trailer coming from the opposite direction and went on to hit another heavy vehicle.

After getting information about the accident, a police team was sent to the spot, and the injured were taken to Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar Hospital, Raipur.

District collector Gaurav Singh said district administration officials also reached the spot.

Police have registered a case, and the matter is being investigated, the collector said.

Chief Minister Sai expressed grief over the incident and announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh each to the families of the deceased and Rs 50,000 each to the injured persons.

Sai has instructed officials to ensure proper treatment for the injured persons.

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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.