Kerala govt forms seven-member police team to probe atrocities faced by women in movie industry
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): In the wake of many women actors narrating their horrific sexual assault experiences in the cinema industry, the Kerala government on Sunday formed a special team to probe the atrocities faced by them.
The government on Sunday formed a seven-member team after a high-level meeting of senior police officials was called by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
The chief minister's office said the special team will be headed by IG Sparjan Kumar and will include four senior women IPS officers of the state.
"Crime Branch ADGP H Venkatesh will oversee the functioning of the team," the CMO said in a statement.
Apart from Kumar, the team will include DIG S Ajeetha Begum, Crime Branch HQ SP Merin Joseph, Coastal Police AIG Poonkuzhali, Kerala Police Academy Assistant Director Aishwarya Dongre, AIG Ajith V and Crime Branch SP S Madhusoodhan.
The report by the Justice Hema Committee, constituted by the Kerala government post the 2017 actress assault case, has revealed instances of harassment and exploitation of women in the Malayalam film industry, prompting calls for action against the guilty.
Rocked by the Justice K Hema Committee's explosive findings of harassment and abuse of women professionals, the Malayalam film industry on Sunday witnessed two high-profile resignations related to the issues.
Director Ranjith stepped down as chairman of state-run film academy Kerala Chalachitra Academy and actor Siddique resigned as general secretary of A.M.M.A (Association of Malayalam Movie Artists).
Even as political pressure was building against Ranjith, actor Siddique resigned from A.M.M.A. amid voices from within his fraternity seeking his resignation.
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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.
