Tahawwur Rana lands in Delhi after extradition from US
New Delhi: A special flight carrying Tahawwur Hussain Rana, a key accused in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, landed at Delhi's Palam airport on Thursday following his extradition from the United States.
Security has been significantly heightened outside the Patiala House Court, where Rana is expected to be produced later today. Personnel from paramilitary forces and the Delhi Police have been deployed to ensure law and order.
Rana, a 64-year-old Pakistani-origin Canadian national and close associate of convicted terrorist David Coleman Headley, was lodged in the Metropolitan Detention Centre in Los Angeles prior to extradition. His final appeal to avoid extradition was rejected by the US Supreme Court, clearing the path for his return to India.
Sources suggest Rana will be lodged in a high-security ward of Delhi's Tihar Jail. Preparations have already been made to accommodate him under tight security.
In preparation for his trial, a Delhi court has received the complete trial records of the 26/11 attacks from a Mumbai court. The records were sought by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to support the prosecution.
The Union Ministry of Home Affairs has appointed senior advocate Narender Mann as the special public prosecutor to handle the case under the NIA’s jurisdiction.
Former Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde welcomed the extradition, calling it a positive step for India’s fight against terrorism.
Rana’s extradition is being viewed as a diplomatic and investigative breakthrough, with Indian authorities hoping to further expose the role of Pakistani state actors in the deadly 2008 attacks that claimed 166 lives in Mumbai.
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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.
