New Delhi (NVI): President Ram Nath Kovind launched the Pulse Polio Programme for 2021 today by administering polio drops to children less than five years old at the Rashtrapati Bhawan in New Delhi.
Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan, Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Ashwini Kumar Choubey, were also present on the occasion.
The President and First Lady Savita Kovind administered polio drops to children on the eve of the Polio National Immunization Day, which will be observed on the January 31, 2021, also popularly known as Polio Ravivar, according to a statement issued by Union Health Ministry.
Around 17 crore children will be given polio drops as part of the drive of Government of India to sustain polio free status of the country, the statement added.
“The countrywide drive will be supported by about 24 lakh volunteers, 1.5 lakh supervisors and many Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), WHO, UNICEF, Rotary etc.” the ministry said.
Furthermore, healthcare workers will be visiting as many as 2 crore households to ensure that no child is left without the protection of the polio vaccine.
Speaking at the launch event, Harsh Vardhan expressed deep gratitude towards the President and the First Lady for their kind presence, particularly at the time of COVID pandemic to highlight India’s commitment to protect all the children of India from all vaccine preventable diseases.
Cherishing the success of the program, Vardhan noted, “Before the start of the program, India had 60% caseload of Polio worldwide. With the last case of Polio reported in Howrah on 13th January, 2011, the country has been free of Polio for a decade now.”
The Health Minister applauding India’s accomplishments along with the precautionary measures that should hence be taken said, “‘Polio-free certification’ of the entire South-East Asia Region of WHO including India on the 27th of March 2014 was a huge accomplishment in the history of India and Global Public Health.”
-CHK
