Turned away from Kullu crematorium, Dalit family allegedly cremates kin in jungle
Shimla: A Dalit family was reportedly compelled to cremate an elderly woman in a jungle after some upper caste people allegedly did not allow them to use the village crematorium in Fozal valley of Himachal Pradesh's Kullu district
About 100-year-old woman, resident of Dhara village, died after prolonged illness on Thursday.
Her grandson, Tape Ram, alleged that when funeral procession reached the public crematorium of the village, some upper castes men forbade them to cremate his grandmother there.
A video is making rounds on social media where Tape Ram is recording his statement while his grandmother is being cremated in the backdrop.
Tape Ram said,"They (upper caste men) said we shall be responsible if anything bad happens due to wrath of the deity. So we brought the body to nearby nullah and cremated it."
Meanwhile, when contacted, Kullu Deputy Commissioner Yunus said "SDM and DSP of Manali have been asked to check the matter.'
"We are trying to establish the identity of the man in the viral video. We are also talking to the villagers to verify the facts," he added.
The DC said 'So far no one has come forward (for lodging complaint), we are trying to get the exact information. I am very strict in such matters. If anything concrete comes forth, I will not spare anyone (responsible for that).
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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.
