Won't contest elections myself: Prashant Kishor
Bettiah (PTI): Political strategist turned activist Prashant Kishor on Saturday ruled out the possibility of contesting elections himself, but reiterated his pledge to build a "better alternative" for his home state of Bihar.
Addressing a press conference here, he also lambasted JD(U) leaders for alleging that he was a "dhandhebaaz" (trader) with little political acumen, and challenged them to ask Chief Minister Nitish Kumar "why he had me put up at his residence for two years".
"Why would I contest polls? I have no such aspirations," snapped the I-PAC founder on being asked repeatedly whether he planned to enter the electoral arena himself.
He was speaking on the eve of the district convention, for West Champaran, scheduled on Sunday when people's opinions will be sought as to whether the "Jan Suraaj" campaign should be made a political party.
Kishor, who is on a 3,500-km-long "padayatra" of the state, said similar people's polls will be held in all districts of the state based on which the next course of action will be decided.
Kisor claimed Kumar will once again shower encomiums on him if he joins his "political enterprise".
"Since I have charted an independent course for myself, he and his lackeys are unhappy with me," he said.
"JD(U) leaders like to berate me. They should ask Nitish Kumar what was I doing at his residence for two years if I had no political understanding," he added.
Replying to a query, Kishor said he did not repent for having worked with Kumar in the past.
"There is a world of difference between what he (Kumar) was 10 years ago and what he is now. He had given up his chair in 2014 owning moral responsibility for his party's drubbing in Lok Sabha polls. Now, he is willing to make any type of compromise to stay in power," he said.
Mocking the grand alliance government's promise of 10 lakh jobs a year, Kishor said, "I have said it many times and I say it again -- if they fulfil the promise I will give up my campaign.
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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.
