https://indianmasterminds.com

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Dehradun Vaccination Mela Lured People into Getting Jabbed by Offering Attractive Prizes

Indian Masterminds Stories

Covid 19 brought in its wake a whole new gamut of experiences for most people as it was for the first time that they were experiencing a pandemic. When the vaccines were rolled out, nations heaved a collective sigh of relief, but at the same time, the governments had to tackle situations where people refused to get themselves vaccinated out of plain fear or superstitious beliefs. India was no exception. In such a scenario, an IAS officer in the hilly state of Uttarakhand found an innovative idea to attract people towards vaccination.

District Magistrate and CEO of Dehradun Smart City Ltd, Dr. R Rajesh Kumar, started a lottery system in the capital where people had a chance to avail amazing prizes for taking the second jab of Covid 19 vaccination. The initiative called ‘Vaccination Mela’ was organized between October 18 and November 2, in coordination with the state health department and the Smart City Project Ltd.

TAKING CUE FROM USA

In an exclusive interview to Indian Masterminds, Dr. Rajesh Kumar said that the idea came to his mind after noticing that the United States and some other nations were following an innovative way of getting people vaccinated. “They follow a lottery system wherein people who were getting vaccinated during that period were eligible to participate in a lottery. This was being followed in some states of the USA and recently a person who came first in the lottery won an amazing prize worth one million dollars. This state-sponsored initiative attracted me a lot and I thought of encouraging the people of Doon by implementing a similar idea.”

Dehradun district administration inaugurating Covid vaccination camp

He revealed that there was yet another reason for this initiative. He felt that people were becoming a little complacent towards taking the second dose of vaccine. “We had already achieved 100 percent of the first dose, but a little slackness was seen from the people’s end towards the second jab. Also, the festival season which starts on Dussehra and goes on till Diwali, was around the corner and rumours regarding the third wave were doing the rounds. Therefore, by pooling in resources from the CSR fund, we started this initiative for a period of 16 days,” he said.

People getting their second dose under Vaccination Mela

Before this initiative kicked off, there were more than three lakh people in Dehradun who were due for their second dose and, as the number was feasible, the administration tried to target the population at the right time.

VACCINATION MELA A HIT

There were three lucky draws consisting of prizes like electric scooty, LED TV with sound system and double-door refrigerator, in addition to the consolation prizes such as smartphone, tablet, microwave, kitchen appliances, food processor, oven, induction, tracksuit, shoes, etc. The first prize and second prizes were announced in the later part of October while the mega award was given out in the beginning of November.

First lottery draw held at Dehradun Collectorate

The prizes were awarded through a very transparent process in which the lots were opened in the collectorate by the media people. People who got vaccinated in any of the 220 vaccination centres in Dehradun during this period were given a counterfoil and the coupon was kept by the administration.

Dr. Rajesh Kumar said, “The response of people participating in this initiative was tremendous. Before this initiative started, on an average, around 2,000 people used to get vaccinated every day in Dehradun. And this number jumped to 7,000 as soon as the initiative started. During these 16 days, around 81,000 people got vaccinated.”

Mega lottery draw

No doubt the lottery initiative of Dr. Kumar to attract people towards Covid 19 vaccination worked well, as a large number of people showed up at the vaccination centres to take their second jabs.


Indian Masterminds Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Related Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
NEWS
Nitish Kumar
Bihar: CM Nitish Kumar Vows to Create 1 Crore Jobs for Bihar Youth in Next 5 Years, Highlights Major Development Milestones
Vishnu Deo Sai CM
Chhattisgarh Government Approves Rs 1,390 Crore for Four New Medical Colleges and Healthcare Projects
Pushkar Singh Dhami CM
Uttarakhand Government Launches Free Pre-Recruitment Training for Agniveer Aspirants Across All Districts
Airports Authority of India AAI
PESB Finds Candidates Unsatisfactory for AAI Member (Operations) Post, Calls for New Selection Process
justice-photo
Next CJI of India: Find Out Who’s Set to Become the New Chief Justice – Full Story Inside
IPS Ratan Lal Dangi
Who Is IPS Ratan Lal Dangi? Chhattisgarh Police Officer Accused of Harassment by SI’s Wife; IG Anand Chhabra Assigned Probe - Full Story
Yogi Adityanath Ayodhya visit in Diwali
UP: CM Yogi Adityanath Orders Fire Stations Every 100 Km on Expressways, Approves 1,020 New Posts in Fire Services
SDM Chhotu Lal Sharma
Who Is SDM Chhotu Lal Sharma? The 2015-Batch RAS Officer Caught in Yet Another Scandal After Slapping Petrol Pump Employee
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
WhatsApp Image 2025-10-19 at 12.23
UPSC Journey Should Be Enjoyable, Not Cumbersome
WhatsApp Image 2025-10-16 at 15.16
The Many Facets of Former IRS Officer and Author, Giselle Mehta | Video Interview
IDES Saquib Alam
Beyond IAS and IPS: The Inspiring Work of an IDES officer | Video Interview 
ADVERTISEMENT
UPSC Stories
IAS Rupal Rana UPSC
How Rupal Rana Cracked UPSC CSE 2023 with AIR 26 After Four Attempts
UPSC Topper Rupal Rana secured AIR 26 in 2023 after four attempts. Learn her preparation strategy, booklist,...
Ankita Parashar RAS 2023
4 Attempts, 1 Dream, 0 Excuses: Meet RAS Topper Ankita Parashar, Who Fulfilled a Daughter’s Promise & Secured Rank 2 | Exclusive Interview
Ankita Parashar, a teacher-turned-officer from Pushkar, fulfilled her late father’s dream by securing...
Kushal Chaudhary RAS
From Lab Assistant’s Grit to Rajasthan Topper: How Kushal Chaudhary Topped RAS 2023 with Self-Study | Preparation, Strategy & Interview
Kushal Chaudhary, a farmer’s son and lab assistant from Ajmer, topped RAS 2023 through self-study, overcoming...
Social Media
IFS Parveen Kaswan
Heartbreak by the River: 15-Day-Old Elephant Calf Rejected by Mother, Rescued by IFS Parveen Kaswan and His Team
Jaldapra, West Bengal: In a moving incident that tugs at the heart, a 15-day-old elephant calf was rescued...
Ashwini Bhide IAS and Anand Mahindra
Who Is IAS Ashwini Bhide, Hailed as a Role Model for Mumbai Metro Transformation by Anand Mahindra?
From heritage to high-tech: Bhide’s leadership in Metro Line 3 earns public praise and admiration
World Rhino Day India
On World Rhino Day, IFS Officer Parveen Kaswan Shares Rare Insights - India Now Hosts 80% of the World’s One-Horned Rhinos
September 22 Marks Global Call for Rhino Conservation; India Holds 80% of World’s Greater One-Horned...
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Latest
01_10_2025-sanjay_gupta_24067000
Sanjay Gupta: The Steady Hand Guiding Himachal’s Next Chapter
Nitish Kumar
Bihar: CM Nitish Kumar Vows to Create 1 Crore Jobs for Bihar Youth in Next 5 Years, Highlights Major Development Milestones
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
WhatsApp Image 2025-10-19 at 12.23
WhatsApp Image 2025-10-16 at 15.16
IDES Saquib Alam
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT