Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan refuses to resign over daughter's fraud case allegations
Kerala CM terms SFIO probe politically motivated
Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has rejected calls for his resignation amid allegations involving his daughter’s IT firm, which is under investigation by the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO). Vijayan termed the probe politically driven and stated that neither he nor the CPI(M) is concerned about the allegations.
Speaking to the media on Wednesday, Vijayan said, “I know you want my blood, but you won’t get it easily,” responding to criticism and speculation about his resignation. He asserted that the case is before the court and would be dealt with legally. “You can keep hoping for my resignation,” he added.
The controversy centres on alleged illegal payments made by a private mining company, CMRL, to Vijayan’s daughter’s firm. Reports indicate that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) may also register a case soon, following the Union Ministry of Corporate Affairs’ reported nod for prosecution.
Vijayan maintained that all payments received by the firm were taxed. “The media is conveniently ignoring the fact that income tax and GST were paid on those payments,” he said.
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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.
