Tika Utsav, PM Narendra Modi`s initiative to vaccinate maximum eligible people, begins April 11

New Delhi: A 'Tika Utsav' or vaccine festival will be marked in the country from April 11-14 at the behest of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been announced with an aim to inoculate maximum number of eligible people against COVID-19 amid a surge in cases.

Several states such as Uttar Pradesh and Bihar are gearing up with appeals being made for eligible people to get themselves innoculated during the 'Tika Utsav'.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath also issued an appeal to the people of his state to get vaccinated in large numbers during the 'Tika Utsav'.

On Saturday, the health ministry said that India is the fastest nation to administer 100 million doses in 85 days.

The US took 89 days to administer 10 crore doses of COVID-19 vaccine, while China took 102 days to cross the same number, it said.

The Prime Minister's Office also tweeted a chart showing India as the fastest country to reach this vaccination milestone, calling it "strengthening efforts to ensure a healthy and COVID-19 free India".

In his interaction with chief ministers to discuss the COVID-19 situation and the ongoing vaccination drive on Thursday, Prime Minister Modi had urged them to focus on vaccinating all those who are above 45 years in 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, according to news agency PTI.

"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 had said.

He has also called for making optimum utilisation of vaccination capacity.

"Let's see how we can mobilise things from April 11 to 14 and there will be satisfaction of achievement. It will greatly help in changing the situation. I have also told the Indian government to provide as many vaccine doses as possible," he said.

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

The daily count of positive cases reached new record highs in the last few days despite having dipped to about 20,000 a few weeks back.

While some states have flagged a "shortage" of vaccine doses, the Centre has maintained that a sufficient quantity of the jabs have been allocated to all the states and that many of them have been unable to inoculate all eligible beneficiaries.

(With inputs from PTI)