NEW DELHI: Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, who launched the Intensified Mission Indradhanush (IMI) 4.0 virtually on Monday said that India is implementing the world's largest immunisation programme, with more than 3 crore pregnant women and 2.6 crore children being covered annually through the Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP).

The Mission would be undertaken in three phases in 416 districts across 33 states/UTs in the country, with 75 districts designated for Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav. From February to April 2022, 11 states will conduct IMI 4.0: Assam, Uttarakhand, Gujarat, Jammu & Kashmir, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tripura, and Chhattisgarh.

From April to May 2022, the remaining 22 states will host the rounds. Maharashtra, Himachal Pradesh, Manipur,  Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, , Puducherry, Odisha, Bihar Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Goa, Tamil Nadu, , Telangana, Dadra, Jharkhand,  Nagar Haveli, Daman & Diu, Karnataka, UP, Kerala, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands are among the states/UTs

"Vaccines are one of the most effective, cost-effective, and safe ways to protect babies, children, and pregnant women from infections and death. In December 2014, the Prime Minister launched Mission Indradhanush with the goal of protecting partially and unvaccinated pregnant women and children in low immunisation coverage, high-risk, and hard-to-reach areas from vaccine-preventable diseases "Mandaviya expressed her dissatisfaction with the situation.

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