EVMs used in DUSU polls may have been procured privately : Election Commission
New Delhi: The Delhi Election Commission on Thursday said that the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) used in the Delhi University Students Union (DUSU) polls do not belong to it and appear to have been procured privately by the university.
The clarification came following reports in the media concerning "glitches" in EVMs which led the authorities to stop the counting process for some time.
"With reference to the caption being shown in some news channels regarding use of EVMs in the elections of DUSU...it is to inform that the EVMs in question is not of Election Commission," the Delhi poll panel said in a communication to an official of the Election Commission of India.
It said that "no such EVMs have been allotted/ issued to Delhi University by this office".
In its clarification, the Commission also said: "It was also confirmed from the State Election Commission that no such machines have been given by them, too."
"It seems that the Delhi University had procured these machines privately."
The Commission said a detailed report in this regard will be sent subsequently as all officials of the Delhi University are currently busy in the election process.
Counting for the DUSU polls was stopped by the election committee due to a "glitch in EVMs" following which supporters of the RSS-affiliated Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad and the Chhatra Yuva Sangharsh Samiti (CYSS)-All India Students' Association (AISA) alliance raised slogans against the university authorities demanding resumption of counting.
An official from the Delhi University's election committee confirmed that the EVMs for the DUSU polls were procured from a private vendor as the Delhi Election Commission refused to allot them the machines.
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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.
