Kerala HC slams govt for inaction on Hema Committee report; terms it alarming
Kochi, Sep 10: The Kerala High Court on Tuesday pulled up the Left government in the state saying its inaction on the Justice Hema Committee report was "alarming."
A special division bench of Justices A K Jayasankaran Nambiar and C S Sudha said the government got the report years ago and ought to have immediately responded and directed that the full report be handed over to the Special Investigation Team (SIT) to take requisite action.
It also asked why the state was silent for so long.
The bench said women are more in number in Kerala and asked what the state was doing about the problems being faced by them in society.
It said the government took action only more than four years after it got the report.
It directed the government to hand over the full report of the committee to the SIT constituted to look into the complaints of sexual harassment and assaults by female actors against some of their male counterparts and others in the film industry.
The bench said the SIT can take action based on the report and the court will examine on the next date what steps have been taken by the special team.
At the same time, the court also said that the SIT should not act in haste and that the details of the victims and the accused should not be disclosed.
The court also refused to issue any gag order, but said that the media should restrain itself and directed the police not to disclose unnecessary details of the cases they are investigating.
The court also said that there should be comprehensive legislation on the issue and directed the government to file an affidavit, indicating steps taken by it, before the next date of hearing on October 3.
During the hearing, the Advocate General, appearing for the state, said that steps, including constituting an SIT, have been taken and 23 cases have been lodged based on the complaints by female actors.
The Justice Hema Committee was constituted by the Kerala government after the 2017 actress assault case and its report revealing instances of harassment and exploitation of women in the Malayalam cinema industry.
Following the allegations of sexual harassment and exploitation cropping up against several actors and directors in the wake of the report being made public, the state government on August 25 announced the establishment of a seven-member special investigation team to probe them.
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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.
