Dalit woman sarpanch faces discrimination in Thakur-dominated village
Satna: Shraddha Singh, the first Dalit woman elected as Sarpanch of Akouna Gram Panchayat in Satna district, Madhya Pradesh, has reportedly been subjected to repeated humiliation by local officials. The issue gained attention when she was prevented from hoisting the national flag on Independence Day, August 15.
Despite state government orders that the Sarpanch should hoist the flag, Shraddha arrived at the Panchayat premises only to find that Deputy Sarpanch Dharmendra Singh Baghel had already carried out the ceremony. Shraddha, who belongs to the Dalit community, described the incident as a deliberate conspiracy and an insult aimed at her because of her caste.
The discrimination continued during a Gram Sabha meeting on August 17, where Shraddha was denied a chair and told to bring one from home or stand. This incident, she revealed, is part of a pattern of ongoing humiliation and obstacles she has faced since taking office in July 2022.
With about 50% of the village's 1,600 voters belonging to the Thakur community, Shraddha’s election win by a margin of just 58 votes has not been well-received by some in the community. Despite facing such hostility, Shraddha remains determined to fight against the discrimination and continue her work for the village's development.
Shraddha has lodged formal complaints with the District Collector, Madhya Pradesh Sarpanch Association, and the Panchayati Raj Council, and a meeting on the matter is scheduled in Bhopal on September 5. She is demanding disciplinary action against the officials responsible for the caste-based discrimination.
Advocate Vijaykumar Azad of Bhim Army - Bharat Ekta Mission has announced plans for protests and the submission of memorandums across all districts to draw attention to this injustice. The response from state authorities and the Panchayat and Rural Development Minister is awaited.
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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.
