MUMBAI: As many as 19,799 children died in Maharashtra between April 2017 and March 2018 due to various reasons, including poor weight and respiratory illnesses, Health Minister Deepak Sawant has said.

The main reasons of death during the period were poor weight at the time of birth, premature delivery, contagious diseases, congenital respiratory illnesses and deformities, besides others, he said in a written reply during the recently concluded Monsoon Session of the Legislative Council in Nagpur.

The ages of the children who died were not mentioned in the minister's statement.

Listing out measures taken up to prevent such deaths, Mr Sawant said the women and child development department, under its schemes through anganwadis (state-run women and child care centres), is providing nutritious food, health check-ups, pre-school education and vaccinations to children.

Pregnant women are being provided free treatment for 42 days after child delivery and ill children are given free medical aid until the age of one year, he said.

"The other services include blood transfusion, making available vehicles (like ambulance in case of an emergency) and information on nutritious food," he said.

The public health department has also initiated various schemes under which complete physical check-up of a pregnant woman is done and the health of newborns is checked periodically, and essential vaccines are given to them, Mr Sawant added.

courtesy : ndtv.com

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Mumbai (PTI): The gunning down of Badlapur case accused Akshay Shinde on Monday was the "killing of justice", said Asim Sarode, lawyer for the two minor girls he allegedly sexually assaulted.

Shinde was killed near Mumbra Bypass around 6:15pm when he allegedly snatched the gun of a policeman while he was being ferried in a police vehicle as part of a probe into a case registered on the complaint of his former wife.

After he shot and injured an API, another personnel from the escort team fired at him, and he was declared dead by doctors at a nearby hospital.

"While representing the two minor girls, I noticed it was becoming uncomfortable for the local politics of the Thane district and even for the educational institution where Akshay Shinde was working. Shinde's death in such a manner is killing of justice," Sarode told a regional news channel.

"Now, the case of sexual assault of the two minor girls will get sidelined. The case of these two minor girls was becoming difficult for the educational institute, as it is affiliated with a certain political family. Such a practice would lower the confidence of people in police and the judiciary," he claimed.

Sarode said he will be filing a plea before the Bombay High Court demanding thorough inquiry into the firing incident.

"Shinde's case could have brought up certain aspects that would have been negative politically for the government. I wonder how Shinde could access the gun and how he could unlock it when his hands were tied. This is political murder and is absolutely wrong," he said.