Why is Modi not ordering probe into Mallya case: Congress
New Delhi, Sep 14 : Accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of maintaining a "conspiratorial silence" on Vijay Mallya, the Congress on Friday asked why he was not ordering an "independent probe" into the fugitive businessman's meeting with Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.
Demanding the sacking of Jaitley, the party said that "despite startling revelations about a meeting between Mallya and Jaitley on March 1, 2016, both Modi and Jaitley have maintained a "conspiratorial silence".
"Is this silence an admission of guilt by Modi and Jaitley?" asked Congress Spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala.
"Skeletons are tumbling out of the Modi government's cupboard, unravelling a sinister conspiracy and collusion of government agencies, including the CBI, ED, SFIO and banks in permitting Mallya to escape the clutches of law.
"Jaitley and the consortium of banks led by the SBI and CBI/SFIO need to answer important issues," he added.
The Congress leader said that the consortium of banks had met Supreme Court senior advocate Dushyant Dave on February 28, 2016, for advice on the Mallya case. Dave has gone on record (on Thursday) that he advised the SBI management to move the Supreme Court the next day and get Mallya's passport confiscated. The SBI management and other banks never returned the next day for action against Mallya or for blocking his escape, said Surjewala.
"Who in the Modi government told the SBI and other banks to not move the Supreme Court on February 29, 2016, to block the escape of Mallya?" he asked.
"Why did the banks wait till March 5, 2016 to move the Supreme Court when Mallya had already escaped on March 2. Does it not prove a sinister conspiracy to help Mallya?"
"Mukul Rohatgi, the then Attorney General and close friend of Jaitley, has also made a startling revelation that Mallya could have been possibly tipped off and, hence, ran away."
"After this statement, on what basis can any agency refuse to initiate investigation into the great government-assisted escape of Mallya?" the Congress leader added.
He questioned who was directing the banks not to lodge an FIR against Mallya or not provide the full facts of loan defaults and diversion of funds to investigating agencies.
"If the Prime Minister does not act, it will be proved that the watchman is not only a partner, but is also guilty," Surjewala added.
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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.
