SC should take notice of EVM-hacking issue, order probe after Gabbard's statement: Surjewala
New Delhi, Apr 12 (PTI): After US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard's statement on EVM hacking, senior Congress leader Randeep Surjewala on Friday questioned the silence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the BJP-led Centre and the Election Commission (EC), and demanded that the Supreme Court take suo-moto notice of the issue and announce a probe.
In a post on X, the Congress general secretary said Gabbard has publicly raised the "issues of hacking" of electronic voting machines (EVMs) and their vulnerabilities.
"In fact, she further said that EVMs are ... vulnerable to exploitation to manipulate the results of the votes being cast. The question is: Why are CEC and Election Commission of India 'silent'? Why is ECI planting 'source based stories' to negate what Ms Tulsi Gabbard said? Why are the PM, NDA government and BJP 'mum'?" he asked.
Surjewala said the EC and the Centre should reach out to the US government and Gabbard to collect all the details of hacking and other vulnerabilities of EVMs.
"Is it fair and just to outrightly rubbish and reject the statement made by the Director of National Intelligence of the US, whom we felicitated on 17th March i.e less than a month ago?
"Should the Supreme Court of India not take suo moto notice of the issue and conduct a thorough investigation, considering that free and fair elections and democracy are part of the 'basic structure' of the Constitution?" the Congress leader asked.
Sources in the EC rejected suggestions on Friday that the EVMs used in India are vulnerable to hacking, asserting that the machines work like simple calculators, which are not connected to the internet or infrared.
Referring to Gabbard's reported remarks that her office has obtained evidence of vulnerabilities to the hacking of electronic voting systems for manipulating votes, the sources said some countries use "electronic voting systems", which are a mix of multiple systems, machines and processes, including various private networks.
Ms. @TulsiGabbard is the United States Director of National Intelligence ! She has publicly raised the “issues of hacking” of Electronic Voting Machines (EVM’s) and its vulnerabilities.
— Randeep Singh Surjewala (@rssurjewala) April 11, 2025
Infact, she further said that EVM’s are, “…vulnerable to exploitation to manipulate the… https://t.co/7OOeFfo5Ey
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
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.
