Petroleum consortium says refusal to display PM's picture is inviting threat of blocked supplies
MUMBAI : Dealers operating petrol pumps have received a verbal advisory from state-owned oil marketing companies (OMCs) to put up pictures of Prime Minister Narendra Modi at their retail outlets, triggering a protest.
Indian Oil Corporation (IOCL), Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) and Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) have asked the dealers to arrange the display ahead of the 2019 elections.
“They are asking us to display the picture of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in retail outlets and those who refuse are threatened with blocking of supplies,,” S.S. Gogi, president, Consortium of Indian Petroleum Dealers (CIPD) told The Hindu.
The instruction is being conveyed by area officers of the companies, who visit the retail outlets, according to the dealers. The suggested displays include one on the scheme to provide LPG connections to Below Poverty Line families. The dealer consortium said there was no written communication, and instructions were coming from the territory manager and sales officers of the companies.
Staff bio-data sought
Recently, the CIPD refused to share personal data of its employees with the oil companies, and many of them alleged that the government was profiling them on caste and religious lines.
The personal data was sought through a form sent to the dealers in the first week on June. “They are asking for sensitive personal information like caste, religion and constituency of the employees. Such data collection by the government is a breach of privacy. We are going to court,” said Mr. Gogi.
The questions in the form sought biographical details, marital status, mobile number, name of father/guardian, Aadhaar number, religion, caste, contact number, email address, number of years of experience and education level, besides bank information.
On June 11, CIPD wrote a letter of protest to OMCs describing the initiative as a violation of fundamental rights. The Petrol Pump Dealers Association of Punjab has issued a legal notice to senior executives of IOCL, HPCL and BPCL on the issue.
An OMC official confirmed that the information was sought as the government required it for the Recognition of Prior Learning scheme under the PM’s Skill Development Ministry. The OMCs did not respond to an email sent on Thursday.
courtesy : thehindu.com
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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.
