Rahul Gandhi meets family of Dalit man killed in Raebareli, says will ensure justice
Raebareli (UP) (PTI): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday met the family of a 22-year-old Dalit man who was shot dead in Salon area recently, and said he would ensure the family gets justice.
Gandhi claimed that people in the area were angry because no action was being taken against the "mastermind" behind the killing.
"All people here are demanding justice because a Dalit man has been killed. His entire family has been threatened, one person has been killed but no action is being taken here...," Gandhi told reporters at Bhuvalpur Sisni village.
Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, is the member of parliament from Raebareli constituency.
"The SP (superintendent of police) here is not taking action against the mastermind, he is arresting small people. I want that every section of the society should be respected in Uttar Pradesh and everyone should get justice... We are not going to step back until this family gets justice," he said.
The man, Arjun Pasi, was shot dead on August 11 allegedly after an altercation with some locals. Six people have been arrested in the case so far, according to police.
Gandhi arrived at the Fursatganj airport in adjoining Amethi district around 1 pm and straightway headed for the Bhuvalpur Sisni village in Raebareli.
He was accompanied by Congress' Uttar Pradesh unit president Ajay Rai, AICC general secretary in-charge of the state Avinash Pande and senior party leader Pramod Tiwari, among others.
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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.
