By : Satyaki Paul
The new vaccine policy launched by the Central Government is aimed at “Free Vaccination For All”. However, the tribal regions of Rajasthan are yet to brought under the ambit of vaccination drive due to the vaccine hesitancy. The governmental officials had tried to rope in these tribal individuals through distributing ration kits, offering free travel to nearest Covid centres, and roping in bhupas (tribal priests).
In Rajasthan, where the state average is 78.3%, the vaccine coverage for the 45-plus age group is the lowest in the tribal districts of Udaipur (63.9%), Dungarpur (62.7%) and Pratapgarh (59.3%). This can be attributed to the spread of fake news is boundless in such regions with the prevailing myth of dying after receiving COVID shots. To counter such fake narratives, the government officials are vaccinating the sarpanchs and panchs of the region. And, the might be super-spreaders i.e., shopkeepers and vegetable vendors are also vaccinated in similar pace. Furthermore, vulnerable populations such as widows, differently abled were provisioned with free travels to the vaccination centre.
To augment the vaccine drive of Jhadol block of Rajasthan, the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Gunjan Singh has distributed around 2,000 free ration kits.These kits include oil, poha (puffed rice), rice, dal and flour. These items were sourced from 12-13 tribal hostels, which are shut due to COVID19 pandemic.
In Kotra block, which has the lowest vaccine coverage at 6%, the administration though is struggling to push up the numbers. The SDM of the region started trust building exercises by participating in the local pujas. The bhupas (tribal priests) were also contacted, so as to increase the reach of the vaccination drive in the region.
The district nodal officer for COVID shots, Dr Ashok Aditya observed that vaccine hesitancy emerged due to the prevalent fears due to circulation of fake news. In similar veins, the State Family Welfare Director Laxman Singh Ola opined that the vaccine hesitancy among tribals is due to their “socio-economic backwardness and low levels of literacy”. To counter such issues, numerous governmental officers in the state are trying to bust myths and discredit rumours.
Another issue which is emerging is the availability of vaccines. This issue is still needed to be handled by our Hon’ble PM Modi and Hon’ble Rajasthan CM Gehlot through cooperation for the sake of people of Rajasthan. The author works as a Ph.D. Research Scholar at the Department of Anthropology, University of Calcutta, and the co-author of the book Anthropology For All (2021).