We value consensus, don't believe in political untouchability: PM Modi
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserted on Thursday that the BJP does not believe in political untouchability and values consensus in running the country, as he noted that his government has bestowed state honours on even the ruling party's political rivals to acknowledge their service to the nation.
Addressing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MPs at an event here to mark the 53rd death anniversary of Deendayal Upadhyay, a party ideologue who had founded its progenitor Jana Sangh, Modi said the saffron party always puts "rashtraneeti" above "rajneeti" and gives respect to even its political rivals.
In this context, he said the current government has honoured former president and Congress stalwart Pranab Mukherjee with Bharat Ratna and noted that Padma awards were given to former Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi and former Nagaland chief minister S C Jamir, both from the grand old party.
Modi noted that he had said in Parliament that a government may run with majority but the nation runs with consensus.
He also cited his government's tributes to national icons like Subhas Chandra Bose, B R Ambedkar and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, and observed that any other dispensation would not have done it.
Upadhyay's ideals of "antyodya" (empowering the most downtrodden) and integral humanism are the inspiration behind the government's welfare works and the "Aatmanirbhar Bharat" (self-reliant India) programme to boost the economy, the prime minister said, adding that India has followed the principle of "nation first" in its external policy as well, without being influenced by any pressure.
He urged the BJP units across the country to undertake 75 works for social welfare as the country approaches its 75th year of independence.
Modi also suggested to the party MPs and other leaders to make a list of products they use in their daily lives and see if they can get rid of foreign stuff and instead, use their Indian alternatives.
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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.
