Get Vaccinated, Get 20 Kg Rice In Arunachal: Offers States Are Making To Boost Vaccine Drive

The states across India are leaving no stones unturned Rice and that too, 20 kg in return of getting jabbed? The prospect turned out to be lucrative enough to dispel rumours around vaccination among villagers of an administrative circle in Arunachal Pradesh, as over 80 of them turned up on foot for the inoculation within days of the announcement of the offer.

AFP

The brainchild of Circle Officer Tashi Wangchuk Thongdok of Yazali in Lower Subansiri district, the offer of free rice for those getting vaccinated in the 45-plus age group was launched on Monday and is valid till Wednesday. ¡°We are constantly trying to work out strategies to improve vaccination coverage in the circle and in the district.

¡°Till today noon, 80 people have come to receive the jabs. Our aim is to achieve 100 per cent inoculation in the circle by June 20," Thongdok, a 2016-batch APCS officer, said. There are 1,399 people above the age of 45 in the Yazali Circle, officials said.

BCCL/ Representational Image

Many of those who came to get themselves vaccinated came on foot from far-flung villages, braving inclement weather, Thongdok said. He said the administration is chalking out a roadmap for taking the vaccination drive to every village of the circle.

There are many other states which have passed bizarre orders to boost the vaccination drive. Let's take a look.

1. Uttar Pradesh

In Uttar Pradesh's Firozabad the government employees will not receive their salaries unless and until they are vaccinated for COVID-19. The main idea behind this is to encourage people to take the COVID-19 vaccine.

FE

On Wednesday the Chief Development Officer, Charchit Gaur said that District Magistrate Chandra Vijay Singh has issued an oral order of 'no vaccination, no salary'.

As per the order, if any employee refuses to take the COVID-19 vaccine, the department will initiate action with the district administration and stop their salary for the month of May, Gaur said.

2. Madhya Pradesh

Astern decision that those not going for vaccination would be deprived of ration offered from public distribution shops (PDS) in MP¡¯s Gram Panchayat in Jabalpur has done wonders as the village has now reached 85% vaccination.

The order was issued by Sihoda panchayat under Shahpura block of Jabalpur after large numbers of locals remained disinterested for vaccination. The Gram Panchayat around 30km from Jabalpur town issued a diktat that those not vaccinated won¡¯t be offered ration.

AFP

Not only this, locals were told by the rural body that for availing benefit of any government scheme, one has to get vaccine jabs. This fuelled a kind of frenzy among locals as in no time the village of around 1,200 achieved 85% vaccination.

3. Karnataka

Similarly, in Karnataka, in a bid to counter vaccine hesitancy and to prod residents residents to get inoculated against Covid-19 on priority, Gadak gram panchayat has passed a ¡°no vaccine no ration¡± resolution.

AP

Officials of the Kotabal gram panchayat said they are aware that PDS supplies cannot be stopped on such grounds and that it is merely a slogan to motivate villagers.