JNUSU polls: Counting stopped after attempt of ballot capture
New Delhi, Sep 15 : Counting of votes for the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union (JNUSU) polls were stopped on Saturday when two principal contenders of an unnamed political group along with their supporters barged into a counting centre and tried to snatch ballot boxes, the varsity election committee said.
The counting of votes for the annual students' elections began on Friday night at 10 p.m. after the polling concluded at 5.30 p.m.
"JNUSU EC 2018-19 hereby brings to the immediate notice that the counting process has been suspended due to forcible entry into the counting venue and attempting to snatch sealed ballot boxes as well as ballot papers.
"This was in addition to intimidation and violence on our Election Committee, including on our female members led by a presidential and a joint secretary candidate," the committee said in a statement.
At around 4 a.m., vandals broke the window panes of the counting centre and injured a few students who tried to resist the attempt. The counting has been stopped indefinitely and a meeting of Grievance Redressal Committee has been called for further action.
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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.
