Tripura CM says oxygen levels will ‘automatically’ rise in water bodies if ducks swim in them
Agartala : Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb said he wants to distribute ducks among villagers in the state because he believes they will boost the rural economy. But the chief minister also claims ducks provide additional benefits: he says they recycle water, and their swimming increases oxygen levels in water bodies.
Deb was addressing an inaugural event of a traditional boat race at Rudrasagar, an artificial lake around water palace Neermahal, when he made the statement. The chief minister told the audience that he planned to distribute 50,000 ducklings to fishermen who lived near the lake. The chief minister said that white ducklings would also be distributed to villagers across Tripura, especially at tourist destinations near waterbodies, to enhance natural beauty and boost the rural economy. Then, Deb explained why it was beneficial to have ducks.
“When ducks swim in water, oxygen level automatically increases in the waterbody. It (oxygen) gets recycled. Fish in the water will get more oxygen. They also benefit from the bird droppings. Thus, pisciculture will benefit and fishes will grow faster, that too in a completely organic way”, Deb said.
Mihir Lal Roy of the Tripura Juktibad Vikas Mancha, said the chief minister’s comments on oxygen levels rising due to ducks swimming was “loose talk” and didn’t have any scientific basis. The Tripura Juktibad Vikas Mancha is an organization that works for the propagation of scientific thought, and has been operational in the state since 2010.
Roy said integrated animal rearing is good and helps boost production. However, Deb’s theories on oxygen levels in water bodies was baseless, he said.
“I am not sure why he has made these comments. We expect sound knowledge from a chief minister. It is true that waterbodies get aerated if there is movement in the water. But there is no scientific evidence that swimming ducks can do the job”, Roy said.
Tripura Pradesh Congress Tapas Dey criticized the chief minister’s comments and said a serious policy suggestion, which involves livelihood of thousands of people, should be made on the basis of sound and proper scientific evidence.
CPM state secretary Bijan Dhar declined to comment on the issue. “I am not aware how few ducks will release oxygen in a large lake like Rudrasagar. I shall not comment on it,” he said.
Deb also claimed previous CPM government damaged village culture
In his speech, the Tripura chief minister said he wants every family to rear four to five ducks. Rearing ducks will help meet all the protein and vitamin requirements of children in the family, he said.
Deb claimed the rearing of ducks and poultry was a part of the old village culture, which was damaged during the 25 years of CPM-led Left Front rule. He defended his comments saying the CPM leaders would forced people to attend their rallies, which were held frequently.
The CM also told landless villagers not to worry about not having land for duck rearing.
“You don’t need to have land for rearing ducks. The government will distribute white ducklings to you. Rear them in Rudrasagar. It will be a great attraction to see thousands of white ducks swimming in the lake”, he said.
Earlier this year, Deb made a series of gaffes. The Tripura chief minister claimed that ancient Indians had access to the internet and artificial satellites in the age of the Mahabharata. He claimed Gautam Buddha walked over the sea to Japan and former Miss World Diana Hayden was unworthy of being a beauty pageant winner.
courtesy : indianexpress.com
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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.
