IT raids continue in Karnataka, not even Rs 10 unaccounted money seized, claims Kumaraswamy
Bengaluru, Mar 29: Income Tax officials continued their searches in parts of Karnataka Friday, even as Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy claimed that not even Rs ten unaccounted money was found in the raids.
In a pre-dawn swoop Thursday, I-T sleuths had carried out coordinated raids at many locations across Bengaluru, Ramanagara, Kanakapura, Mandya, Mysuru, Hassan and Shimoga.
"It has not concluded yet," an I-T official said without divulging any details.
Taking to the streets, Kumaraswamy had on Thursday staged a protest in front of the I-T department here in the first such protest by the State chief minister in recent memory.
The crackdown came within a day after Kumaraswamy claimed Wednesday night that the I-T raids had been planned from 5 am on Thursday.
The ruling Congress-JDS alliance alleged that the I-T raids were carried out on JD(S) leaders overseeing the elections of Kumaraswamy's son, Nikhil, in Mandya and nephew Prajwal Revanna in Hassan.
Kumaraswamy said, "I was watching the television, (where it was claimed that) crores of rupees were found.
Did your income tax officers get even Rs 10? Why did they go for it (raids)? It was intentional."
He sought to know why the BJP leaders were spared from the raid and only Congress and JD(S) leaders were targeted.
"Whom did they raid? Did they raid the houses of BJP leaders? Are the BJP leaders poor? Do they seek vote by prostrating without giving money?" the chief minister said.
Meanwhile, Congress state unit president Dinesh Gundu Rao wrote to President Ramnath Kovind alleging that the raids were conducted to create a fear psychosis among the voters.
In the letter, a copy of which was released to the media, he said the I-T department was carrying out raids on the relatives of Congress and JD(S) leaders to mar the election prospects and create a fear psychosis among voters, supporters, leaders and candidates of the alliance partners.
Rao requested the President to direct the income tax department to desist from conducting raids in the interest of free and fair elections.
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.
