First batch of stranded Indians reach Romania from Ukraine
New Delhi, Feb 25: The first batch of Indian nationals from Ukraine reached Romania on Friday afternoon after crossing the Suceava border post, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.
Officials said more Indians in small groups are expected to reach Romania through the border crossing.
"The first batch of evacuees from Ukraine reach Romania via Suceava border crossing. Our team at Suceava will now facilitate travel to Bucharest for their onward journey to India," MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said.
In a tweet, he also shared visuals of the Indians transiting the border post.
Senior officials said Air India will operate two flights to the Romanian capital Bucharest on Friday to evacuate the Indians. More flights are likely to operate over the next few days.
The two Air India flights are expected to depart Bucharest on Saturday.
India is trying to evacuate its nationals through Ukraine's land borders with Hungary, Poland, Slovakia after the Ukrainian government closed the country's airspace following the Russian military offensive.
Earlier, the Indian embassy in Ukraine said over 470 students will exit Ukraine and enter Romania through the Porubne-Siret border on Friday and that it is moving them to neighbouring countries for onward evacuation.
It said that the "massive evacuation" operation was organised through the joint efforts of Indian embassies in Ukraine, Poland, Romania and Hungary and that efforts are underway to relocate Indians coming in from the hinterland.
As India stepped up efforts to evacuate around 16,000 of its citizens, mostly students, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, during a phone conversation with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, discussed the predicament of the Indian nationals and appreciated his support for their safe return.
"Received call from Ukrainian FM @DmytroKuleba. He shared his assessment of the current situation.I emphasised that India supports diplomacy & dialogue as the way out," Jaishankar tweeted.
"Discussed predicament of Indian nationals, including students. Appreciate his support for their safe return," he added.
The first batch of evacuees from Ukraine reach Romania via Suceava border crossing.
— Arindam Bagchi (@MEAIndia) February 25, 2022
Our team at Suceava will now facilitate travel to Bucharest for their onward journey to India. pic.twitter.com/G8nz2jVHxD
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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.
