Shelter-home case: Court rejects anticipatory bail of ex-minister, husband
Patna, Aug 25: A Bihar court on Saturday rejected the anticipatory bail of former Bihar Social Welfare Minister Manju Verma and her husband relating to an FIR registered by the CBI against them under Arms Act. Both are likely to be arrested soon, police said.
The CBI had conducted raids at their residence in Patna and Begusarai in connection with Muzaffarpur shelter home rape case.
The investigating agency recovered 50 live cartridges at their Begusarai residence leading to registration of the FIR in the Beritarpur police station against Verma and her husband under the Arms Act.
The CBI interrogated Verma and her husband Chandeshwar Verma separately.
Manju Verma resigned on August 8 following allegations that Brijesh Thakur, the main accused in the case, had links with her husband.
Arrested on June 2, Thakur is currently lodged in Muzaffarpur jail.
Of the 42 girls lodged at the short-stay home run by Thaku's NGO, 34 minor girls were found to have been sexually assaulted. The crime came to light after a social audit by the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai.
The shelter home has been sealed.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
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.
