BHOPAL: More than 2.50 crore people of above 18 years cannot be vaccinated in rural areas.
A fortnight has passed since the vaccination drive began, but, because of tough process for booking a slot, they could not be inoculated.
Nearly 3.24 crore youths of above 18 years are yet to be given the jab. The process for booking a slot for the shot is so difficult that many of them cannot do it.
Only those who have smart phones or internet connections can book a slot for inoculation.
Educated youths in cities are facing hassles in booking the slot. Therefore, it can be easily imagined the difficulties the youths in rural areas are facing in doing that.
The people from cities are getting vaccinated at the centres set up by the health department in rural areas.
People in rural areas are not keen on getting vaccinated. Nor, the government is paying proper attention to get them vaccinated as early as possible.
A member of Rewanchal Samiti, Ramnaresh, says that the people were not ready to get vaccinated when the drive for the first dose was launched.
Now, the people are not vaccinated, he says, adding that only 2% of people have smart phones in rural areas of Vindhyachal.
Therefore, it is not easy for anyone to book a slot for getting vaccinated, Ramnaresh says.
The Covid-19 is spreading to rural areas very fast, but it seems there will be no vaccination in those places, he says.
A legislator from Manawar, Hiralal Alawa, who has been working in tribal areas for many years, says there is no vaccination drive in villages.
The process for booking a slot for those above 18 years is so difficult that nobody in tribal areas will be able to get the shots, he says.
According to Alawa, nearly 3, 50,000 people are to be vaccinated in Manawar, but only 200 doses of vaccine are received daily.
It is not known how everyone will get vaccinated in this situation, he says.
72K vaccinated in Indore, 3, 500 in Alirajpur
The number of people vaccinated in rural areas, especially in tribal areas, is too less to be mentioned. In Indore, 72,000 people between 18 and 44 years of age have been vaccinated till Friday.
Similarly, 52,000 of the same group have been inoculated in Bhopal. On the other hand, in the areas dominated by tribal people, like Alirajpur, only 3, 505 have been given the jab.
In Anuppur, it is 3, 708, and, in Barwani, the number is 5,350. In Mandla, 4, 326, in Dindori, 3, 049, and in Sheopur, 2, 831 people have been vaccinated.
Process for booking slot for 18+
Those who are above 18 years have to open covid-19 App and fill in forms for registration.
When the slot opens, one has to choose the state, city and the vaccination centre for booking a slot.
One slot is booked in a minute. Therefore, it will be impossible for rural people to get inoculated.
