The Economic Survey of India states that India’s National Covid-19 Vaccination Programme is the world’s largest vaccination programme. It began on 16 January 2021 and now covers all persons aged 12 years and above.

As on 6 January 2023, India has been able to administer more than 220 crore Covid vaccine doses across the country. 97 per cent of eligible beneficiaries have already received at least one dose of Covid-19 vaccine and around 90 per cent of eligible beneficiaries have received both the doses. Vaccination for the age group 12-14 years was started on 16 March 2022, followed by the precautionary dose for the age group 18-59 years starting from 10 April 2022. So far, more than 4.2 crore adolescents have been administered the first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine and 22.4 crore precautionary doses have been administered.

Under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan, the Union Government focussed on scaling up expenditure on health infrastructure by (a) investing in grass root health institutions and ramping up HWCs in rural and urban areas; (b) setting up critical care hospital blocks in all districts; and (c) strengthening the laboratory network and surveillance by integrated public health laboratories in all districts and blocks and public health units to manage pandemics.

The administration of more than 220 crore Covid-19 vaccine doses was made possible because of the robust digital infrastructure of Co-WIN. With more than 84.7 crore Co-WIN beneficiaries seeded with Aadhaar among the total 104 crore (between January 2021 to September 2022).

The Economic Survey of India states that India’s National Covid-19 Vaccination Programme is the world’s largest vaccination programme. It began on 16 January 2021 and now covers all persons aged 12 years and above.