Nine people including Indian arrested for looting departmental store in Kathmandu
Kathmandu (PTI): At least nine people, including an Indian national, were arrested for their involvement in looting various items from a departmental store during the pro-monarchy protest in Nepal, police said.
Ravi Ranjan Kumar, a resident of Patna in Bihar, was among those arrested for looting the Bhatbhateni Departmental Store during Friday's protest and vandalism.
The arrested people looted bottles of whiskey, fruits, beer, and make-up items from the store, a police official said.
The police have initiated necessary legal action against those arrested, said a statement issued by the Kathmandu Valley Crime Investigation Office.
During the pro-monarchy protest in Baneshwor-Tinkune area of Kathmandu, demonstrators pelted stones, attacked the office of a political party, set vehicles on fire and looted shops.
Two persons, including a TV cameraman, were killed and 110 others injured in the clashes between security personnel and the protesters, who were demanding the reinstatement of a Hindu monarch.
Meanwhile, the Kathmandu District Court granted judicial remand for five days to 41 people including the leaders of the pro-monarchy Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) to investigate the vandalism.
The Kathmandu district police are charging 41 people, including RPP General Secretary Dhawal Shumsher Rana and Vice President Ravindra Mishra under the State Offense and Organised Crime Act, according to the police.
So far, 110 people have been arrested in connection with the violent protest.
The pro-monarchists have become active since democracy day in February when former monarch Gyanendra Shah said, “Time has come for us to assume responsibility to protect the country and bring about national unity.”
They organised rallies in Kathmandu and other parts of the country, demanding the reinstatement of the 240-year-old monarchy, abolished in 2008.
On Sunday, former vice-chancellor of Nepal Academy Jagman Gurung was appointed the Monarchy Reinstatement Movement Committee chief.
Gurung will take charge as the acting commander of the committee as staunch royalist Navaraj Subedi, the commander of the committee, has been put under house arrest following the violent demonstrations.
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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.
