College students across the city joined hands with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Sunday to keep the city free of polio.

Students from various colleges in the western suburbs helped the civic body staff administer polio vaccine doses to children below the age of five.

The initiative is part of the Centre’s ‘Mission Indradhanush’, which aims at immunising 1.1 million children across the country against seven preventable diseases — diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus, polio, tuberculosis, measles and hepatitis B — by 2020.

“Students’ main role is to mobilise people and create awareness about vaccination. They direct people towards BMC’s booths and sometimes, even administer the doses,” said Sudhir Puranik, director, National Service Scheme (NSS) at the University of Mumbai.

BMC provides special training in vaccination to NSS volunteers. According to Puranik, around 70% volunteers on the ground on Sunday were college students.

For many student volunteers, it was a fun, learning experience. “We would spot people with small children and ask them to get them vaccinated,” said Hritik Srivastava, a student from National College, Bandra.

Atul Salunkhe, state liaison officer for the NSS, said the purpose of such social activities is the students’ personality development. “Initiatives like these provide students with a platform to nurture their skills. They also change their perspective towards the society and help them learn problem-solving,” he said.

“NSS volunteers always support social causes and we give them full support to do so.They are very motivated to get involved in such causes,” Rajpal Hande, principal, Mithibai College, Vile Parle.

First Published: Jun 17, 2019 02:48 IST