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4-day Tika Utsav starts today: States aim to ramp up vaccination after PM Modi's appeal

Tika Utsav from today: States like Bihar and Uttar Pradesh have ramped up their efforts to increase inoculation. They have urged people to get themselves vaccinated during the four-day programme

States organise Tika Utsav from today

As per Prime Minister Narendra Modi's appeal, a Tika Utsav or vaccine festival will be organised across the country from today. The aim of this utsav is to vaccinate as many eligible people against coronavirus as possible. The mass vaccination 'festival' will be conducted from April 11-14. This utsav comes after PM Modi appealed to chief ministers of all states and union territories to ramp up COVID-19 vaccination.

"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 utsav?" PM Modi had said in the meeting.

States like Bihar and Uttar Pradesh have ramped up their efforts to increase inoculation. They have urged people to get themselves vaccinated during the four-day programme.

The Tika Utsav will start in UP in 6,000 COVID-19 vaccination centres. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath as well as the Governor will take part in webinars too on all four days.

Bihar aims to vaccinate 4 lakh people during the Tika Utsav.  Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has also asked people to come forward for vaccination to contain the pandemic.

VACCINE SHORTAGE

While the aim of the utsav is to inoculate as many people as possible, several states have alerted the government of depleting vaccine stocks. Maharashtra has already been making headlines over its war of words with the Centre due to vaccine shortage. Now, Punjab and Rajasthan have also alerted the government of vaccine shortage.

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh said on Saturday that the state had only five days worth of COVID-19 vaccine stocks, while Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said that the state would run out of vaccine in 48 hours.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has also said that vaccine stock is depleting and there's enough only for 10 days.

Jharkhand has also asked for 10 lakh doses urgently.

So far India has inoculated over 10 crore people. With 35,19,987 inoculations in the last 24 hours, India has administered 10,15,95,147 doses of coronavirus vaccines.