On 'Mann Ki Baat', PM urges people to shed vaccine hesitancy

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday asked people to shed vaccine hesitancy and get inoculated with Covid-19 vaccines.

Interacting with villagers from Madhya Pradesh during his monthly ‘Mann ki Baat’ radio address, Modi said even his mother, who is 100 years old, had received both doses of Covid-19 vaccine and urged them not to believe in rumours about ill-effects of vaccines.

"I urge you all – trust science, trust our scientists. So many people have taken the vaccine. Let us never believe in negative rumours related to the vaccine,” the prime minister said, adding more than 31 crore doses of vaccines have been administered across the country so far.

Modi said even he had taken both doses of vaccines and urged them to get rid of the fear and get vaccinated soon.

“At times, some people develop fever on account of this…but it is very minor; just for a few hours. But not getting vaccinated can prove dangerous,” Modi said when villagers told him about rumours in rural parts of the country of vaccines causing deaths.

Striking a word of caution, the prime minister said the threat of Covid-19 was not over and urged people to get vaccinated and follow Covid-19 protocols.

“If someone says Corona is gone, do not be under this mistaken notion. This ailment is a master of disguise. It keeps changing its looks and surfaces in myriad new forms and colours,” Modi said.

Modi said there were only two ways to remain protected from Covid-19 – wearing masks, frequently washing hands with soap and maintain physical distances and the other way was the get vaccinated

The Prime Minister said the next round of the Covid-19 vaccination drive was launched on June 21 when a record 86 lakh persons received vaccine doses free of cost.

He asked the villagers to involve women of the village to spread the message of getting vaccinated.

“At times when mothers or sisters tell a thing people tend to agree readily,” the prime minister said.

In the address, he also paid tributes and remembered the contribution of Indian sprint legend Milkha Singh, who died earlier this month.

Modi hailed Singh's contribution to Indian sports and said he will always cherish his interactions with the athlete.

Singh died in a Chandigarh hospital after a month-long battle with Covid-19. He also lost his wife Nirmal Kaur, a former national volleyball captain, to the same disease.

Modi also shared the struggles and triumphs of Olympics-bound Indian athletes and said that people must not build any pressure on these sports persons but "cheer for India".

(With agency inputs)