Prime Minister Narendra Modi has appealed to have the next four days, starting today, be celebrated as 'Tika Utsav'. The aim is to inoculate the maximum number of eligible people against the novel coronavirus.
The mass vaccination programme, which will be conducted from April 11-14, starts amid an unprecedented surge of coronavirus cases in India since the start of the year. India recorded more than 1.5 lakh fresh Covid-19 infections on Saturday, becoming the second country after the US to register the grim milestone.
In Uttar Pradesh, the 'Tika Utsav ' has kickstarted with 6,000 vaccination centers in the state. Bihar CM Nitish Kumar aims to vaccinate nearly four lakh people during the festival.
On the internet, people had a mixed reaction to the 'festival'. While some cracked jokes and shared memes, others said it was a helpful initiative. Here are some reactions:
The festival has begun during a time when there is a shortage of COVID-19 vaccines in the country.?States such as Maharashtra, Punjab, Chhattisgarh, and Jharkhand have said they won't be able to continue the inoculation drive due to shortages of doses.?
The opposition has slammed the ruling party for this fiasco, and Sonia Gandhi said, "It has exported vaccines and allowed a shortage to be created in India."