Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya hammer half-centuries as India make 231/5 vs SA in 5th T20I
Ahmedabad (PTI): Skipper Suryakumar Yadav's poor run with the bat continued but India still managed a massive 231 for 5 thanks to Tilak Varma and Hardik Pandya's blazing half-centuries and Sanju Samson's useful contribution at the top in the fifth and final T20 International here on Saturday.
Samson, who opened the batting in place of the injured vice-captain Shubman Gill, struck a 22-ball 37 and shared a 63-run stand with Abhishek Sharma (34 off 21 balls) as the hosts, leading the series 2-1, were off to a fine start.
Abhishek and later Samson's dismissals did not slow down the momentum as Varma (73 off 42 balls) continued to play his natural game even as Suryakumar (5) departed without making much of a contribution.
Varma and Hardik Pandya (63 off 25 balls) then shared a 115-run stand for the fourth wickets to carry the team past the 200-run mark, with the latter hammering five boundaries and as many sixes at a strike rate of over 250.
Earlier, India included pacer Jasprit Bumrah in place of Harshit Rana, while Washington Sundar came in for Kuldeep Yadav. Samson was included in place of Shubman Gill.
Brief scores.
India 231 for 5 in 20 overs (Abhishek Sharma 34, Sanju Samson 37, Tilak Varma 73, Hardik Pandya 63; Corbin Bosch 2/44).
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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.
