Not all our allies currently in position to join us: US official on banning import of Russian oil
Washington(PTI): The United States administration has said that it consulted its European allies before banning the import of Russian oil and gas while stressing that it recognizes not all of its partners were in a position to follow suit.
By an executive order signed on Tuesday, Biden banned the import of Russian crude oil and certain petroleum products, liquefied natural gas, and coal.
This step is aimed at depriving Russia of billions of dollars in revenues from US drivers and consumers annually. Last year, the US imported nearly 7,00,000 barrels of crude oil and refined petroleum products from Russia daily.
"In taking this action, we consulted with European allies closely, but we do not expect them and did not ask them to join us.
"The United States is able to take this step because of our strong domestic energy production and infrastructure and we recognize that not all of our allies and partners are currently in a position to join us," said a senior official in the Joe Biden administration.
The executive order also banned new US investment in Russia's energy sector, to ensure that American companies and investors are not underwriting Vladimir Putin's efforts to expand energy production inside Russia, the White House said.
It mentioned that Americans will also be prohibited from financing or enabling foreign companies that are investing to produce energy in Russia.
The official underscored that the ban is immediate.
"We block any new purchases of Russian energy. We do allow, though, for wind downs of deliveries for existing purchases that were already contracted for. No new contracts will be allowed. For existing contracts, we are allowing a 45-day wind-down period," the official explained.
"In terms of domestic impact, the reality is Vladimir Putin's unprovoked and brutal war has led to higher energy prices and raised costs for Americans at home -- about 75 cents at the gas pump -- since he began to amass troops at the Ukrainian border in early November," the official said.
Russian forces launched military operations in Ukraine on February 24, three days after Moscow recognised Ukraine's breakaway regions - Donetsk and Luhansk - as independent entities.
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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.
