Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh today launched the second phase of the State Pulse Polio Immunization Campaign from Kuthar in Solan district by administering the polio drops to the children. Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister said that around seven lakh pulse polio drops would be administered to the children aged up to five years in the State under the second phase of this campaign except for Kinnaur district which had been left out of this campaign due to heavy snowfall in the district. As many as 5895 booths had been set up in 1380 selected places of the State and 23,125 workers from different departments had been engaged to make it a successful campaign. He said that during first phase in the January month this year, 6, 65,989 children were administered polio drops in the State.
Shri Virbhadra Singh said that India was now a polio free country and the last case was reported in West Bengal in January, 2011. In Himachal Pradesh, the first polio case was detected in Nirmand in Kullu district and the last case was reported in September, 2009 at Nalagarh in Solan district in the child of a migratory worker and no case had been reported thereafter. He added that the it was due to the political commitment of the State government and the concerted efforts of the Health and other departments along-with the Rotary International, Child and Women Welfare department and NGO's that polio had been completely eradicated from the State.
Food & Civil Supplies Minister Shri G.S Bali, Social Justice & Empowerment Minister Dr. (Col.) Dhani Ram Shandil, Chairman, H.P Buildings and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board, Baba Hardeep Singh, District Congress President Shri Rahul Thakur, Vice Chairman, Small Savings, Shri Prakash Karad, Ex-MLA Shri Lajja Ram, senior Congress leader Shri Arun Sen, Deputy Commissioner Shri Madan Chauhan, Superintndent of Police Shri Ramesh Chhajta and district Chief Medical Officer Dr. R.K Gupta were also present on the occasion.