Congress demands revote for DUSU with ballot papers
New Delhi, Sep 14 : Questioning the Delhi University over its alleged silence on the procurement of EVMs used in DUSU elections, the Congress on Friday demanded that a revote be held with ballot papers.
The party also questioned the poll panel over "privately sourced EVMs" used in the student body elections, adding that its demand for the last two years on the use of Voter Verified Paper Audit Trails in DUSU elections had been ignored.
"The Election Commission on Thursday clarified that they did not supply the Electronic Voting Machines used in Delhi University Students Union elections. After the EC clarification on the EVMs, why didn't the varsity tell from where it got these EVMs," Delhi Congress chief Ajay Maken asked while speaking to the media here.
He also claimed the EVMs were tampered with, adding that it resulted in the defeat of Congress-affiliated NSUI on three of the four DUSU posts.
The RSS-affiliated Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad won three of the four seats, while the National Students Union of India got one post in the elections, the results of which were declared on Thursday.
"Whenever there is EVM malfunctioning, the BJP ends up winning elections," the Congress leader quipped.
The Congress leader said that the varsity issued a circular on September 10 to all affiliated colleges' principals on the use of EVMs on election day.
"Hyderabad-based Electronic Corporation India Limited (ECIL) supplied EVMs to the Delhi University. It is the same company that provides EVMs to the Election Commission too," Maken said, adding that without permission from the poll panel, ECIL cannot supply EVMs to anyone.
"When the EC's committee concerned did not approve the EVMs' supply to the DU, how did it happen? And if the EC did give the nod for the supply, why has the information been hidden from us?" the Congress leader questioned.
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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.
