I-T Raids fallout: BJP tried persuading Kumaraswamy to form govt by offering money,alleges DeveGowda
Bengaluru, Mar 28: In the wake of Statewide I-T raids on JDS partymen, former Prime Minister and JDS supremo H D Deve Gowda Thursday alleged that the BJP had tried to persuade his son H D Kumaraswamy to form a government in Karnataka with their help before the assembly elections.
"The BJP had requested Kumaraswamy to come to Mumbai before the election and promised to give big money for JDS electoral expenses. I was aware of this.
Knowing fully well about my stand, Kumaraswamy took a hard decision. He rejected the offer by saying he would not go against the wishes of his father to join hands with the BJP," Gowda told here.
The JDS supremo's statement comes in the wake of a statewide pre-dawn IT crackdown on his partymen and others.
The Congress and JDS leaders have alleged that the raids were politically motivated.
The former prime minister alleged that the BJP was taking revenge against JDS leaders because they failed to form a government with the help of Kumaraswamy.
"The IT officials have been targeting D K Shivakumar.
Now, they have targeted two parliamentary constituencies.
PWD office is being searched. They have stooped to such a low level," he said.
Gowda also alleged that BJP president Amit Shah wanted to meet him two years back, but refused.
"He (Amit Shah) had sought an appointment to meet me at my residence two years back. I said nothing doing," he said.
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.
