India News | Govt Launches Song Promoting India's COVID-19 Vaccination Drive

New Delhi, Oct 16 (PTI) In run-up to India's efforts to administer 100 crore COVID-19 vaccine doses, Union ministers Mansukh Mandaviya and Hardeep Singh Puri on Saturday jointly launched an audio-visual song on the country's inoculation programme.

The song is produced and sung by Kailash Kher.

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Launching the song and expressing his gratitude to frontline and healthcare workers, Mandaviya said India was able to “administer more than 97 crore doses of COVID-19 vaccine”.

He said the government and the people reposed “faith (Sabka Vishwas) in our scientists, researchers and medical fraternity in developing the indigenous vaccine”.

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“Due to the efforts of all (Sabka Paryas), we were able to undertake the herculean task of delivering the vaccines to every nook and corner of the country, and vaccinating such a large number in a short period.

“It is the result of our collaborative and cooperative effort that we have been able to administer more than 97 crore vaccine doses. Logistics -- from vaccine manufacturing to its last milestone delivery -- was a huge challenge,” the minister noted.

Mandaviya, the Union health minister, said after crossing all these challenges, on September 17, India administered more than 2.5 crore vaccine doses in a single day.

“In the coming week, we will achieve the landmark milestone of 100 crore vaccine doses. For this, everyone's effort is important. In India, today, approximately 74 per cent people above 18 years have been vaccinated with the first dose,” he said.

The minister noted that the song is a result of the holistic and collaborative approach among various ministries of the government.

It will help in dispelling the myths about vaccination and overcoming rampant vaccine hesitancy, he said.

Mandaviya added that the Centre will launch one more song produced by Kher on the occasion of achievement of 100 crore vaccine doses administration in the country.

Speaking on the occasion, Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Puri noted, “When India went into coronavirus-induced lockdown in March 2020, the country was dependent on imports for PPE kits, ventilators and other requisite medical supplies, but within a short period, we were able to manufacture all these things domestically, and now we are better equipped to face any eventuality”.

He said it is a matter of great satisfaction that the fight against COVID-19 took the shape of a people's movement.

He said the virus is our common enemy and all should join hands to fight against it.

Puri added that singers can capture people's imagination, and the song will go a long way in dispelling the myths and creating awareness about the vaccination.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)