Following PM Modi's Appeal, 4-Day 'Tika Utsav' For Mass Covid-19 Vaccination Begins Today

Several states are urging citizens who are eligible for the vaccination driver to get themselves inoculated during the 'Tika Utsav'.

New Delhi: Following Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call, 'Tika Utsav' or vaccine festival will begin in the country from today with an aim to inoculate the maximum number of eligible people against the coronavirus.

Several states are urging citizens who are eligible for the vaccination driver to get themselves inoculated during the 'Tika Utsav'.

The campaign will be carried out till April 14 although reports of vaccine shortage may pose a significant challenge.

Beginning the 'Tika Utsav', PM Narendra Modi asked Indians to remember 4 things.

"Vaccinate One, that is, help those who are less educated and elderly, who cannot go and get vaccinated themselves.

Treat One, that is, help people who do not have the means or do not know about the facilities available for vaccination.

Save One, i.e., Emphasis should be that I should wear a mask and in this way I save myself and save the lives of others also.

the fourth important thing is that in the event of someone contracting corona, the people of the society should lead in the creation of ‘micro-containment zones’. Family members and people of the society should create a ‘micro-containment zone’ wherever a Corona positive case has been reported," he wrote.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has also issued an appeal to people to get vaccinated in large numbers.

In his interaction with chief ministers over the persisting Covid-19 situation on Thursday, Prime Minister Modi had urged them to focus on vaccinating all those who are above 45 years of age in high caseload districts.

"Sometimes, it helps in changing the atmosphere. The birth anniversary of Jyotiba Phule is on April 11 and on April 14, there is the birth anniversary of Baba Saheb. Can we organise a 'Tika Utsav: or vaccine festival and create an atmosphere of 'Tika Utsav'?" he had said

"We should vaccinate as many eligible people through a special campaign and decide on zero wastage. If there is zero wastage in four days during 'Tika Utsav', it will also increase our vaccination capacity," PM Modi added.

This should be our endeavour to vaccinate maximum eligible people during the 'Tika Utsav', PM Modi emphasised.

Meanwhile the reports of shortage in Coronavirus vaccine supply continue to raise concerns. After states like Maharashtra, Chattisgarh and Jharkhand, Punjab also reported a shortage of Covid-19 vaccine doses as Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh informed that the state is left with only 3 to 5 days of vaccine supply.

As per news agency ANI, he said that Punjab is left with only 5 days of vaccine supply with 5.7 lakh Covid vaccine doses at the current levels of vaccinating 85,000-90,000 persons a day.

If the state is able to meet its target of 2 lakh vaccines a day, then its current supplies will last only 3 days, the CM added.

Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan had earlier called the allegations of vaccine shortage "utterly baseless".

"Vaccine supplies are being monitored on a real-time basis, and State governments are being apprised regularly about it," Dr Harsh Vardhan said on Wednesday.