Shed vaccine hesitancy, do not believe in rumours: PM Modi to people

Cautioning people that the threat of Covid-19 remains, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday urged them to shed vaccine hesitancy and get themselves inoculated soon.

In his monthly Mann ki Baat broadcast, Modi hailed the feat of most vaccination doses administered in a single day on June 21 at the start of the new phase of inoculation under which all adults are being given free jabs.

Seeking to make people shed vaccine hesitancy, Modi spoke to residents of Dulariya village in Betul district of Madhya Pradesh and counselled them to take the vaccine amidst their doubts about the exercise.

He noted that both he and his nearly 100-year-old mother have taken both doses of the vaccine, and asked people not to believe in rumours and trust science and scientists.

"The threat of COVID-19 remains and we have to focus on vaccination as well as follow COVID-19 protocols," he said.

With the Monsoon approaching, Modi also stressed on water conservation.

In his broadcast, 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".

"Every athlete who is going to Tokyo has worked hard. They are going there to win hearts. It must be our endeavour to support our team and not put pressure on the team," he said.