Faulty EVMs delay election proceedings in AP; polling goes late into the night
Amaravati: Polling was going on in over 300 booths late into Thursday night in different districts of Andhra Pradesh as faulty EVMs hampered voting in the day.
Though the scheduled polling time ended at 6.00 pm, voters in the queue waiting outside the booths were being allowed to exercise their franchise.
"Even if it is midnight, those in the queue by 6.00 pm can cast their votes," state Chief Electoral Officer Gopal Krishna Dwivedi said.
Till 6.00 pm, over 74 per cent voting was recorded for 175 assembly and 25 LoK Sabha seats in the state
In more than 380 booths, technical glitches in EVMs hampered polling during the days. As a result scores of voters returned home after a long wait.
After the authorities rectified the defects and replaced some of the faulty EVMs, the poll process resumed.
The voters who reached respective polling stations before the scheduled close were being allowed to fulfil their obligation.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu's son Nara Lokesh, who is contesting the Mangalagiri Assembly seat, staged a protest at a polling station in Tadepalli town late Thursday night alleging lack of provision of basic facilities for the voters.
"Voters are made to wait in queue for hours because the EVMs and VVPATs did not function. Not even drinking water was available for them," Lokesh said.
The minister was, however, jeered by opposition YSR Congress workers. They raised slogans asking Lokesh to "go back" and not disturb the poll process.
Tension prevailed at the polling station as TDP workers tried to hit back.
Guntur Urban SP Vijaya Rao reached the spot and asked Lokesh to leave. The TDP leader, however, remained adamant and picked up an argument with the officials.
"I am a minister, remember. I have every right to be here," he said. However, the police managed to disperse the two sides soon.
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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.
