BJP state chief Vijayendra accuses Cong govt of corruption, Shivakumar hits back
Belagavi (Karnataka) (PTI): Accusing the Congress government in Karnataka of rampant corruption, state BJP President B Y Vijayendra on Thursday alleged that the money collected through "loot and by emptying the state's coffers" is being paid to the party high command, to continue in power.
Hitting back, Deputy CM D K Shivakumar called Vijayendra as "king of collection", and held him responsible for "bringing down" his father and former CM B S Yediyurappa's name.
"From the time the Congress government came to power, money has been paid to the party high command through corruption. We have been saying that if the Congress is in power in the state, it will turn into an ATM for their high command. Hundreds of crores were misappropriated in Valmiki ST Development Corporation. After that, one scam after the other is taking place," Vijayendra said.
Speaking to reporters here, the state BJP chief alleged that to satisfy the Congress high command, money is being collected from contractors. "You may be aware that the state contractors' association had also written a letter alleging commission."
"No development works are happening in this government, other than corruption.....for those who want to loot, rich or poor doesn't matter. Continuing in power by satisfying the Congress high command, looting the state and emptying its coffers, is the only thing that is happening in this government," Vijayendra claimed.
Reacting to the allegations, Shivakumar said Vijayendra lacks experience, and challenged him to speak in the Assembly as to which coffer is empty.
"Which coffer is empty? He should say, let him come and speak in the Assembly, instead of running away somewhere. Let him come to the Assembly here and speak about which coffer, what collection? Should I reveal their collections, accounts and transfers? I too know what to speak. He should speak whatever he has to, within his limits as the party president," he told reporters.
"If there is any king for collections, it is Vijayendra. He is responsible for bringing down his father's name," he alleged.
Speaking about the legislature session and the discussions that have happened so far, Vijayendra said that he had no expectations about getting solutions to the issues raised from the "outgoing CM".
"You will have to understand the situation of the chief minister (Siddaramaiah), who is an outgoing chief minister. No one knows when he will resign. Listening to the way in which the CM is speaking, anyone will naturally feel that -- let it be, how long will he be there in the post?" he said.
Further noting that how long will one be in the CM chair is not important, but what work he does while in the post is important, he said, "some had hopes, as this may be Siddaramaiah's last session (as CM)....but, when he has not done any development work for the last 2.5 years, what will he do now in two weeks?"
Terming the allegations of usurping 21.16 acres of land against Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda in Kolar district as "serious", Vijayendra said, the matter will be raised during the session.
"....can illegality happen or be allowed in the guise of ancestral property? Is it permitted under law? It is a serious matter," he said.
Responding to a question on extending the session for one more week, the state BJP chief said the Leader of Opposition R Ashoka had written to the Speaker regarding this, but as per his knowledge, there has been no positive response so far.
The winter session of the state legislature, which began on December 8, is scheduled to conclude on December 19.
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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.
