Supreme Court rejects activist Akhil Gogoi's bail plea in anti-CAA protests case
New Delhi: The Supreme Court denied bail on Thursday to activist Akhil Gogoi, who is lodged in a Guwahati jail for his alleged role in the violent anti-CAA protests in Assam.
A bench of justices N V Ramana, Surya Kant and Aniruddha Bose dismissed Gogoi's bail plea, saying, "We will not consider the petition at this stage."
The bench, however, told advocate Runamoni Bhuyan that the petitioner may approach the top court for bail once the trial starts.
Gogoi has challenged a January 7 order of the Gauhati High Court, which rejected his bail plea in a case related to his alleged role in the violent protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) lodged by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
Krishak Mukti Sangram Parishad (KMSS) and Raijor Dal leader Gogoi is lodged in the Guwahati central jail since his arrest in December 2019.
He was arrested on December 12, 2019 as a preventive measure, while protests against the CAA in the northeastern state raged on and resulted in violence at several places.
Gogoi's case was subsequently handed over to the NIA.
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.
