FIR filed against 300 protestors in Badlapur sexual abuse case, 40 arrested
Thane: An FIR has been registered against around 300 people involved in protests over the alleged sexual abuse of two young girls at a school in Badlapur, Thane district. The Thane Police have arrested more than 40 protestors, who are set to be presented in court today.
The protests erupted after an attendant at the school was arrested on August 17 for allegedly abusing two kindergarten students, aged three and four years, in the school’s toilet. In response to the incident, the school management has suspended the principal, a class teacher, and a female attendant.
The incident led to a large-scale demonstration by parents and other community members, including several women, who blocked train tracks at Badlapur railway station, disrupting services between the Karjat and Kalyan sections.
The protestors demanded immediate action against those responsible for the abuse.
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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.
