PM launches nationwide HPV vaccination drive for girls

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday launched the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination campaign in Ajmer, describing it as a landmark initiative aimed at safeguarding the health of the nation’s daughters and strengthening women’s empowerment across India.

The campaign kicked off with Manisha Rawat becoming the first person to be vaccinated under it. Addressing a gathering, Modi said the campaign, launched from the “land of brave women”, marks an important step toward protecting mothers and daughters from serious health risks.

“From this land of brave women, I have had the opportunity to launch an important campaign for the daughters of the entire country. This campaign is a significant step toward empowering the women of our nation,” he said.

Highlighting the central role of women in family and society, Modi noted that when a mother falls ill, the entire household is affected, but when she remains healthy, the family can withstand any challenge. He said the BJP government had consistently worked with sensitivity to introduce schemes aimed at empowering and supporting women.

Recalling the period before 2014, the PM said many women and girls had to endure hardship due to the lack of basic facilities such as toilets. He pointed out that the absence of separate toilets in schools led many girls to drop out, while poor families often could not afford sanitary pads. “For those in power earlier, these may have seemed like minor issues, but for us, they were matters linked to the health and dignity of our sisters and daughters,” he said, adding that these challenges were addressed in “mission mode”.

Modi also spoke about the dangers of malnutrition during pregnancy, which posed serious risks to mothers’ lives. He said the government introduced schemes to promote safe motherhood and ensured financial assistance of Rs 5,000 was deposited directly into the bank accounts of beneficiaries to provide nutritious food. Referring to women’s health concerns caused by smoke from traditional cooking fuels, he said the Ujjwala gas scheme was introduced to provide clean cooking energy.

After the launch, Modi interacted with the girls who were vaccinated today and urged them to become brand ambassador of this campaign and take it ahead. He asked them to make people aware about the disease and the importance of having this shot.