Soren probe: ED summons Cong MP Dhiraj Sahu for questioning in money laundering case
Ranchi/New Delhi (PTI): The Enforcement Directorate has summoned Congress Rajya Sabha MP from Jharkhand Dhiraj Prasad Sahu for questioning in a money laundering case in which the central agency recently arrested former chief minister Hemant Soren, official sources said Thursday.
Sahu, 64, was in the news after the Income-tax department in December recovered Rs 351.8 crore cash, an all-time high seizure, during raids against Odisha-based Boudh Distillery Pvt. Ltd. (BDPL), promoted by the family of the Congress legislator.
The MP is understood to have been summoned to appear on February 10 at the ED office in Ranchi. A response from Sahu on PTI's query in this context is awaited.
Sources said the ED wants to question and record Sahu's statement in connection with his purported links with Soren and a BMW SUV that was seized by the agency from the JMM leader's house in Delhi during searches last month.
According to the ED sources, agency officials found the keys of the vehicle in the Jharkhand government leased residence in south Delhi and they took the SUV with them at the conclusion of the raids and parked it at their headquarters in the national capital.
The agency also raided a premise in Kadarpur village in Gurugram (Haryana) on Wednesday on whose address this Haryana number plate bearing SUV is stated to have been registered, the sources said.
Two locations in Kolkata were also searched in the same case on Wednesday.
The ED suspects this vehicle to be allegedly linked to Sahu in an alleged "benami" manner.
Some other persons linked to the case have been summoned by the agency for questioning and confrontation with Soren and another accused in the case-- Bhanu Pratap Prasad, a former revenue department sub-inspector of the Jharkhand government.
The 48-year-old Soren was arrested by the ED on January 31 on money laundering charges in an alleged illegal land acquisition and possession case.
Soren resigned as the Jharkhand CM before he was formally arrested that day. He is in the ED custody at present.
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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.
