Deeply dissatisfied with India's position: Ukrainian envoy on Russia-Ukraine conflict
New Delhi, Feb 24: Ukraine is "deeply dissatisfied" with India's position on the crisis arising out of Russian military offensive, Ambassador Igor Polikha said on Thursday and sought New Delhi's support in defusing the situation.
The Ukrainian ambassador said India has special relationship with Russia and it can play a more proactive role in de-escalation of the situation.
He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi is among very few leaders whom President Vladimir Putin listens to and New Delhi can use its proximity with Moscow to control the situation.
The envoy said Ukraine has been following India's position on the crisis and it is "deeply dissatisfied" with it.
His comments came a day after Russian Deputy Chief of Mission Roman Babushkin said India has been playing a vital role as a responsible global power and it takes an "independent and balanced" approach to world affairs.
At an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council on Monday night, India had called for "restraint on all sides".
It stressed that the immediate priority is "de-escalation of tensions", taking into account the legitimate security interests of all countries and aimed towards securing long term peace and stability in the region and beyond.
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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.
