Editors Guild of India webinar disrupted by unknown persons
New Delhi: The Editors Guild of India on Saturday said its virtual webinar on reporting challenges from Naxal areas was subjected to relentless attacks and disruptions by unknown persons.
Calling the incident shocking, the Guild said it had organised the webinar as part of its series 'Unheard Voices: Reporting from Conflict Zones' and its speakers included some of the most seasoned Indian journalists who have been reporting from Naxal areas.
Within a few minutes since the start of the webinar, some of the participants started posting frivolous song videos, the Guild said in a statement.
"The meeting host tried shutting down the window of each such guest, but the number of such disruptors kept on increasing. Soon, some of them started posting obscene messages on group chat as well as shared screens with pornographic content and abusive language. Eventually, the meeting had to be ended without even one of the guest speakers getting a chance to speak," it said.
Calling it a blatant attack on the freedom of speech, the Guild demanded that the Cyber Crime Cell investigate this violation.
"The Guild is shocked and disturbed by this unprecedented attack by those who clearly did not want the speakers' voices to be heard. Naxal infested areas have been subjected to some of the most horrifying and gruesome instances of state excesses. The webinar speakers have been at the forefront of chronicling the conflict and the human rights abuses over the last few decades," it noted.
The Guild said it sees this as a blatant attack on the freedom of speech. It demanded that the Cyber Crime Cell investigate this attack on free speech and book the guilty.
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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.
