The Madhya Pradesh Government has decided that the subsidised or free food grains at all fair price shops will be given only to those who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
An order by the Food and Civil Supplies Department dated November 7, 2021, said “beneficiaries must be informed that to draw the benefit of the scheme both doses of vaccine is compulsory”.
The State Government launched a mega vaccination drive on Wednesday.
“About 6.50 lakh shots were given till 1 p.m.,” said the Madhya Pradesh Department of Public Relations.
Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has said that all citizens who have taken the first dose but skipped the second dose should come forward to get vaccinated.
Several district administrations and traders have come up with innovative measures to assist the State Government in improving vaccination coverage.
An official said that traders of namkeen and sev (traditional savouries) in Ratlam district in western Madhya Pradesh have come together to say that they will serve only customers who have been vaccinated. The district is a hub for manufacture of the savouries. About 76% of the population in the district have been vaccinated, the official said.
The administration of the State’s commercial capital Indore has barred entry to several popular spots to those who have not taken the vaccine. Some of the spots include Chappan Dukkan (a marketplace offering local delicacies), the Indore Zoo and public gardens. Those unvaccinated are not allowed to use inter-city and intra-city government buses.
In the State’s temple town of Ujjain, pilgrims are not permitted bookings in hotels, lodges and dharamshalas if they are not vaccinated.
In Gwalior district, some petrol pumps have started refusing to attend to customers who have not taken both doses.
Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday gave 3.51 lakh vaccine doses, taking the tally to 7.62 crore vaccine doses given in the State so far. The current drive is to get the second dose of vaccine to all those eligible by December 31, said an official.
Mr. Chouhan has conducted a review meeting that was attended by Health and Welfare Minister Prabhuram Choudhary, Medical Education Minister Vishwas Sarang and senior officials of the Home and Health Departments.