Will contest elections if party asks: Priyanka Gandhi
Amethi, Mar 27: Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra Wednesday said she will contest the elections if her party asks her.
However, she said her own wish is to work for the party's organisation.
"If my party asks me to contest the polls, I will definitely do so. But my personal wish is to work for the party's organisation as a lot of work needs to be done," the Congress leader told reporters.
She said, "I have told party workers that it is very important you campaign properly this election. You should go to each and every house, and tell people that this election is to save the nation. Not Rahul Gandhi, but the nation should win this election."
Taking on UP Chief Minister's Yogi Adityanath's jibe that she visits temples only during elections, Priyanka Gandhi asked whether he knows anything about her.
The Congress general secretary in-charge of the state's eastern districts kicked off second leg of her campaign on Wednesday with the visit to Amethi, her brother Rahul Gandhi's constituency, and is scheduled to reach Ayodhya, where the disputed Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid site is located, on Friday.
When asked whether she will visit the makeshift temple which houses the idol of Lord Ram or "Ram Lalla (infant Ram)", Priyanka Gandhi said, "I haven't checked my schedule."
In an oblique reference to Finance Minister Arun Jaitley dig at the Congress' minimum income promise, she said her party preaches what it practices.
"See the Congress had said that it will waive off the loans of farmers, and within 10 days of coming to power in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, it was done," Priyanka Gandhi said.
Hitting back at BJP's criticism of previous Congress governments failing to remove property, she said, "Obviously all the problems have not been solved. Obviously some people are still poor. A large number of people are suffering. But there is a lot of work that has been done."
She said the issues on which her party is fighting this elections are farm distress and lack of jobs.
"I think the defining issue is that farmers are suffering. They have got no help from the government, they say that they do not get seeds and fertilisers on time. In some places, seeds are costing them more than their crop. They are in debt, and there is nobody to support them and nobody to help them," she said.
"There is gross unemployment. Jobs were promised, they were not given. There are thousands of young people who are unemployed. I see them everywhere, I see them everywhere I go. When I ask have you got a job, they say 'no'," Priyanka Gandhi said, adding that no government has performed as badly on employment as the NDA has.
She also said that a number of issues have been politicised, which should not have been done.
The Congress leader also congratulated DRDO scientists for successful testing of India's anti-satellite missile capabilities. "I am very, very proud of DRDO, which is one of India's great institutions founded by Jawaharlal Nehru," she said.
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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.
