‘Boost to women empowerment’: PM Modi launches HPV vaccination drive for 14-yr-old girls
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday launched the nationwide Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination campaign for 14-year-old girls from Ajmer in Rajasthan.
According to officials, a single-dose ‘Gardasil 4’ vaccine, a quadrivalent HPV vaccine, will be used under the campaign. The injection provides protection against HPV types 16 and 18, which are responsible for cervical cancer, as well as types 6 and 11.
One of the vaccine beneficiaries received a shot in front of the PM. He also interacted with some of the beneficiaries on the occasion.
“From this land of brave heroines, a very important campaign has begun. The HPV vaccination drive is a significant step forward in women’s empowerment. When a mother is ill, the entire household falls into disarray; but when she is healthy, the family has the strength to face anything. That is why the BJP government has launched several schemes dedicated to women.”
The Prime Minister also laid the foundation stone and inaugurated multiple development projects worth Rs 16,680 crore spanning the sectors of urban development, drinking water supply, roads, irrigation, energy and industrial infrastructure. He also distributed appointment letters to 21,800 youths.
He said earlier women had to face a lot of disrespect in the absence of toilets and girls had to drop out of schools. Underprivileged girls lacked access to sanitary napkins. “To the previous government, these were minor issues that weren’t even discussed. For us, these have been deeply sensitive problems, which is why we addressed them in ‘mission mode’.”
He said the government provides Rs 5,000 direct benefit transfer support to pregnant mothers to address their nutritional needs.
Attacking the Congress, which he referred to as MMC — “Muslim league-Maowadi Congress’, he said: “Recently, Delhi hosted the world’s largest AI summit, which was attended by several Prime Ministers, Presidents, Ministers, biggest companies and their CEOs. Everyone praised India. When so many people appreciate our country, don’t you feel proud? But you saw what Congress — drowning in despair and hopelessness, exhausted by constant defeats — did in front of guests from all over the world. They staged a drama to humiliate the nation before foreign guests. Friends, Congress is losing consistently across the country and it is tarnishing India’s image in its anger.”
He went on to say that the Congress was no longer Indian National Congress but “MMC”. “The Muslim league hated India and that is why they divided the country. Today, Congress is doing the same. The Maoists also hated India’s Constitution and successful democracy. They lie in wait to attack. Congress, too, lies in wait and goes anywhere just to defame the country,” the PM said.
He said the Congress government never gave the armed forces ‘one rank, one pension’; there were massive scams in foreign defence deals.
“Friends, in the last 11 years, the Indian Army has delivered a crushing blow to terrorists and the nation’s enemies on every front. Our Army has been victorious in every mission and on every front — from surgical strikes to Operation Sindoor. But the Congress promoted the falsehoods of our enemies. Whatever is auspicious for the country, whatever is good, whatever benefits the citizens, Congress opposes all of it,” said PM Modi.
