One more Indian national killed in Maldives garage fire
Male(PTI): The number of Indians killed in the deadly garage fire in the Maldivian capital here rose to eight on Sunday after the only unidentified body was identified as that of an Indian man.
Thursday's fire is reported as the worst-ever recorded in Male City in terms of lives claimed and damage to property.
Police said the last body from the 10 deceased in the fire that broke out in a car repair garage in M Nirufehi, located near the Maaveyo Mosque, was identified and it was an Indian man, the Sun Online International reported.
The garage was located on the ground floor, while the first floor of the building housed migrant workers from Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka.
Authorities have confirmed the deceased as four women, including three Indians and one Bangladeshi, and six men. The five men that were previously identified were four Indians and one Bangladeshi.
Police said that the identities of all the deceased have been shared with the Foreign Ministry, and the diplomatic missions of their respective nations in the Maldives. The identities of the Indian nationals have not been made public.
The migrant quarters housed at least 38 people, and there were cooking gas cylinders placed next to each bed.
The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said that 29 people, including 15 locals and 14 foreigners, are being provided with temporary shelter in guesthouses. Guardians of another 19 foreigners who were displaced in the incident have provided them shelter, it 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.
