Eight people, including four minor boys, held in Sikkim for rape of 13-year-old girl
Gangtok: Police have arrested eight people, including four minors and a woman in Gyalshing district on Sunday, for involvement in a case of sexual harassment and also rape of a 13-year-old girl.
A case was filed and eight people were arrested after the Child Welfare Committee gave a complaint to the police on Friday regarding the matter. Police have registered the case under various sections of the BNS and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
Police officers have said that the Committee was informed by the girl’s school about her situation. The girl revealed during counseling that a woman in her locality had been asking her for help in domestic work. She also informed the police that the woman had forced her to have sex with her husband as well as two other men in exchange for money. Additionally the victim told the counselor that four boys had sexually assaulted her over the last one year.
Police have arrested the woman, her husband and the two men and also taken the four minors into custody based on the statement of the girl.
It is learned that the girl is receiving counseling and medical treatment under the care of the Child Welfare Committee.
Further investigation is underway.
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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.
