Veteran Congress MLA, ex-minister Sujan Singh Pathania dies at 77
Shimla, Feb 12: Senior Congress leader and sitting legislator in Himachal Pradesh Sujan Singh Pathania passed away at his native place in Fatehpur tehsil of Kangra district on Friday morning, a party leader said. He was 77.
He was a former minister and sitting legislator from Fatehpur Assembly constituency in Kangra district. He died after a prolonged illness on Friday and will be cremated on Saturday.
Born on September 22, 1943 in Lahore (Pakistan), Pathania was elected seven times as an MLA.
Having served in the HP Forest Department as a range officer, he resigned from service to join Janata Party in 1977 and later became a member of the Congress in 1980.
Pathania was elected to the state Assembly in 1977; re-elected in 1990, 1993, 2003 November, 2009 (by-election) from Jawali Assembly constituency and in 2012 and 2017 from Fatehpur Assembly constituency.
Before delimitation in 2007, Fatehpur Assembly Constituency was known as Jawali.
Pathania remained MPP and Power Minister with additional charge of Non-Conventional Energy Sources, Agriculture from December, 2012 to December 20, 2017.
Meanwhile, Governor Bandaru Dattatreya and Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur have expressed grief over his sad demise.
In his condolence message, the Governor said Pathania will always be remembered for his service and contributions towards welfare of the society.
The Chief Minister said the veteran MLA's contributions towards development of the state in general and Kangra district in particular would be remembered for years to come.
Union Minister Anurag Thakur also expressed grief over his demise.
Former chief ministers Virbhadra Singh, Shanta Kumar, Prem Kumar Dhumal, BJP President Jagat Prakash Nadda, AICC in-charge for Himachal Pradesh Rajeev Shukla, BJP state president Suresh Kashyap and state Congress president Kuldeep Singh Rathour have also expressed sadness on the septuagenarian's demise.
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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.
