Poll code violation: Election Commission notice to producers of 2 serials
Mumbai: The Election Commission (EC) has issued show cause notices to producers of two TV serials following allegations that the shows were violating the model code of conduct by promoting various government schemes.
Maharashtra's additional chief electoral officer Dilip Shinde on Wednesday said complaints were received of violation of the poll code by two serials being aired on Zee TV and &TV.
"Taking cognisance of the complaints, the EC on Tuesday issued notices to producers of the respective serials, asking them to reply within a day," Shinde said.
Further action will be taken after receiving their replies, he said.
The Congress on Monday approached the EC, demanding a ban on two channels for allegedly violating the model code of conduct by airing content that praised the central government's schemes and ruling party leaders.
The Maharashtra Congress said the EC should file cases against the makers and actors of the two serials, as well as the BJP.
State Congress general secretary Sachin Sawant, who led a party delegation to the EC, said it was "shocking" that television serials were being used to "promote" schemes and leaders of the ruling party.
The Congress also submitted video clips from the two serials to the EC.
In one of the clips, characters of a serial were purportedly seen hailing the Centre's Ujjwala scheme, which provides LPG connections to Below Poverty Line households, and the Swachh Bharat Mission, a cleanliness campaign of the NDA government.
In another clip from a serial being aired on another second channel, two characters were seen discussing the Pradhan Mantri MUDRA (Micro Units Development and Refinance Agency) Yojana, that promises affordable credit to micro and small enterprises.
Sawant alleged there was a possibility that crores of rupees were transacted in this connection and demanded the EC probe it and register a case of corruption.
When asked for a reaction, BJP spokesperson Madhav Bhandari said the party was neither related to the channels nor the serials in any way.
"It is absurd to see the Congress making noise when its leaders talk about freedom of speech and expression. When some channel tries to portray something positive happening in society, the Congress starts baying for its blood. This shows the party's double standards," Bhandari 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.
