Italy PM Meloni slams left's double standards on global leaders
Criticism of Trump, Milei, Modi, and me framed as 'threat to democracy,' says Meloni
Washington, Feb 23 (PTI): Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has slammed the Left's "double standards" in perceiving conservatives globally, saying when leaders like herself, US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi collaborate they are called a "threat to democracy" while leftist leaders are praised for similar alliances.
Meloni's remarks came as she addressed the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Washington via video link from Rome.
During the address, Meloni praised Trump and said the Left is nervous about Trump's victory.
"Their irritation has turned into hysteria, not only because conservatives are winning, but because conservatives are now collaborating globally."
"When Bill Clinton (former US president) and Tony Blair (former British prime minister) created the global leftist liberal network in the 90s, they were called statesmen.
"Today, when Trump, Maloni, (President of Argentina Javier) Milei or maybe Modi talk, they are called a threat to democracy. This is the last double standard, but we are used to it, and the good news is people no longer believe in their lies, despite all the mud they throw at us. Citizens keep voting for us," said Meloni.
She said people vote for them as "we defend freedom, we love our nations, we want secure borders, we preserve businesses and citizens from the green leftist insanity and we defend family life."
"We fight against wokeism...and we stand for common sense," she said.
People are not as naive as the Left considers them, she said.
Meloni said that the United States and Europe would remain close under Trump, despite soaring tensions between the allies including over Ukraine.
Ties between Europe and the United States have been strained in the first weeks of Trump's second term after the US leader reached out to Russia and warned of a shift away from Europe, raising fears of Trump's commitment to the NATO alliance.
"Our adversaries hope that President Trump will move away from us (Europe)," Meloni said.
But, "knowing him as a strong and effective leader I bet that those who hope for divisions will be proven wrong," 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.
