The Election Commission learned from the Federal Minister of Health on Monday that the five voting-restricted states do not have many Omicron cases and may not consider rescheduling elections.
After learning more about the scope of Omicron cases and the vaccinations in UP, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur under investigation, the committee recommended that the Ministry of Health ensure 100% or the highest possible coverage in UP , Punjab and Manipur states to carry out Covid vaccination, and focus on timely inoculation of the second dose of vaccine to those who are already eligible. It asked the Minister of Health to return a new report on the latest status of vaccination in a week. Based on the report and the opinions collected by EC during the three-day UP visit that began on Tuesday, the polling team will call for fine-tuning of its Covid security polls and campaign guidelines in five states. source.
At the same time, the center asked the five polled states to double testing and ensure strict enforcement of Covid-related behaviors, in addition to increasing vaccination coverage.
The committee also met with representatives of ITBP and Sashastra Seema Bal on Monday, who guard the international borders of Uttarakhand and UP, and asked them to strengthen surveillance before the polls and monitor activities across the border to rule out any attempts by external forces to make the upcoming The polls held are invalid. Later, discussions will be held with the BSF deployed on the India-Pakistan border in Punjab to discuss ensuring border security during the polls.
The EC also held discussions with the Drug Enforcement Agency DG, as many political parties in Punjab and Goa have expressed concerns about the use of drugs for voter inducement. The team has asked the NCB to monitor the movement of narcotics and strengthen seizures before voting, especially in Punjab and Goa.
Complete News Source : msn
