Karnataka Health Department to vaccinate nearly 11,400 girls in govt hostels against HPV
Bengaluru: In the absence of a nationwide human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination program, the Karnataka State Health Department has undertaken a project to vaccinate around 11,400 14-year-old girls residing in government hostels under the Social Welfare Department (SWD).
According to global statistics cited by Deccan Herald on Thursday, eight out of 10 women will contract the HPV virus at some point in their lives. This poses a significant risk to over 480 million women in India, as certain strains of the virus can lead to cervical cancer. However, vaccination is known to be effective in preventing the onset of HPV-related cancers.
Sources told DH that the SWD will fund the project, which is estimated to cost Rs 2.88 crore. The funds will cover two doses of the vaccine for 11,393 girls across Karnataka. This includes 5,372 girls enrolled in class eight and 6,021 girls in class nine.
"The money is yet to be released; this will be discussed in the next meeting of the SC/ST Council," mentioned the source.
The vaccination drive will be carried out in one phase and is expected to roll out within the next two months, following the government order that was issued on March 1.
The order, which DH said that it had accessed, noted that the HPV vaccine will be administered according to the guidelines set by the Federation of Obstetric and Gynaecological Societies of India (FOGSI) after the vaccines are procured by the State Health Department.
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Nashik court sends ‘godman’ Kharat to seven-day judicial custody in third rape case
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Nashik (PTI): A court in Maharashtra's Nashik on Monday remanded self-styled godman Ashok Kharat to judicial custody till April 20 in a third case of rape against him for allegedly sexually exploiting a pregnant woman.
The special investigation team (SIT) produced Kharat for a virtual hearing in the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate B N Ichpurani as his police custody in the case ended on Monday.
The SIT presented the remand report and sought judicial custody for Kharat, a former merchant navy officer. The court then remanded him to a seven-day judicial custody till April 20.
In the third case, Kharat, who was first arrested in mid-March, is accused of sexually exploiting a seven-month pregnant woman, the wife of his office staffer.
According to the complaint lodged by the victim's husband, the accused sexually assaulted the survivor on multiple occasions, including in his office in Nashik, between November 2023 and December 2025.
Kharat also conducted a ritual with the pregnant woman at a temple in Mirgaon village of Sinnar taluka of the district, it said.
Although the victim informed her husband about her plight, he did not believe her. But when he heard about complaints of Kharat's misbehaviour with other women, he planted a spy camera in the astrologer's office to find out the truth and recorded his acts.
The employee later handed over to the police a pen drive containing objectionable videos of the 'godman'.
Kharat faces nearly a dozen cases, eight of them related to sexual assaults.
The SIT, meanwhile, has filed an application in the court demanding Kharat's custody in another case. As the court granted them the necessary permission, the team will take the accused's custody from the Nashik Road Central Jail.
Kharat will be produced in court again in the fourth case on Tuesday.
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