Ministerial panel tasked with speeding up probe into scams during BJP rule to meet this week
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara on Wednesday said the committee of Ministers -- formed to review and coordinate regarding the action to be taken in connection with probe by government and investigating agencies into various scams that have taken place during the previous BJP government -- is likely to meet this week.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday constituted the five member panel headed by Parameshwara, and asked it to complete the task in two months.
The move is said to be aimed at turning the tables on the BJP, which has been targeting the ruling Congress over scams.
"Every case that is pending at various stages... some of them that have been decided and some yet to be decided...to review all of them and to submit a report a Cabinet subcommittee has been formed. Probably this week itself I will call a meeting of the committee," Parameshwara said.
Speaking to reporters here, he said such cases have been identified and their status report will be submitted to the Cabinet.
"We will not go on an individual basis, the number of cases that are pending, we will review. Cases should not catch the dust without action, so we will review them. We were doing it departmentally earlier, now it has been decided at the Cabinet level, so the committee has been formed, it is also to speed up the process," he added.
Parameshwara on Tuesday said during the BJP rule 20-25 scams have taken place, and all of them will be reviewed.
Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H K Patil, Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda, Rural Development Minister Priyank Kharge and Labour Minister Santosh Lad are the members of the committee.
On the BJP dubbing the move as "vendetta politics," the Home Minister said: "Let them say whatever they want, we will have to do our duty."
"As the ruling party we will have more responsibility. They (opposition) have the responsibility to criticise, advise and correct the government if it is going in the wrong direction. As the party in government we have our own responsibility and we are answerable to the people," he added.
As for the Enforcement Directorate in its charge sheet stating that an estimated Rs 20.19 crore of the funds misappropriated from the Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation Ltd (KMVSTDCL) was diverted to Ballari during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in May, Parameshwara said the probe agency would have come to the conclusion based on the evidences that it has gathered.
On the Congress government maintaining so far that former Minister B Nagendra, who has been named as the prime accused in the ED chargesheet, had no role in the scam, he said: "what we say is not important....we would have said on the prima facie basis, but the detailed probe would bring the truth out. Now the ED has said about his role in the chargesheet, let's see what happens finally."
Asked about "differences" in the findings by ED and the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe ordered by the state government, the Minister said: "such things happen several times, the evidence that both agencies got might be different. Different agencies will have different mandates....ultimately both will be considered."
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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.
