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
Odisha Government
Odisha Elevates Two Promising IFS Officers to Senior Time Scale, Strengthening Forest Leadership - Know More About Them
Yogi Adityanath UP
Uttar Pradesh Floods: CM Yogi Adityanath Forms ‘Team-11’ for Swift and Transparent Flood Relief Across 12 Districts
DGR Job Fair
DGR Job Fair 2025 Held in Delhi to Empower Ex-Servicemen with Career Opportunities in Emerging Tech - Details Inside
omc
Odisha Mining Corporation (OMC) Begins Dispatch from Dubna Mines, Strengthening Supply Chain and Industrial Growth
NFDC
NFDC Launches Free Residential 3D Animation & VFX Training for North East Youth - Here's All You Need To Know
CM Yogi
CM Yogi Adityanath Reviews Rs. 42,891 Crore Development Proposals for Lucknow Division, Emphasizes Timely, Inclusive Execution
Mahanadi River
Chhattisgarh CM Vishnu Deo Sai Assures Odisha of Consideration on an Amicable Solution to Mahanadi Water Dispute
MP News
Madhya Pradesh CM Dr. Mohan Yadav Pays Tribute to Pt. Ravishankar Shukla on His Birth Anniversary
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
IAS Karn Satyarthi
How IAS Karn Satyarthi Transformed Gumla Through Empathy and Innovation
Ananth Rupanagudi IRAS
IRAS Ananth Rupanagudi’s Take on Corruption, Reform, and Duty
WhatsApp Image 2025-07-26 at 13.16
What Most Indians Don't Know About Jim Corbett
ADVERTISEMENT
UPSC Stories
BPSC Bihar police
From Lantern Light to Police Uniform: How Praveen Kumar from a Small Bihar Village Cracked BPSC to Become SDPO
From a lantern-lit village in Bihar to becoming an SDPO, Praveen Kumar's journey is a testament to resilience,...
IAS Priyansha Garg
Why Mindset Matters: IAS Priyansha Garg’s Mental Health Mantra for UPSC
After two failed prelims, Priyansha Garg cracked UPSC with AIR 31 in her fourth attempt, proving how...
Ashish Akshat
From Setback to State Topper: How Ashish Akshat Topped JPSC While Working Full-Time
Ashish Akshat from Dhanbad topped JPSC 2023, proving that resilience, discipline, and family support...
Social Media
Mudumalai Tiger Reserve
Mudumalai Tiger Reserve: From India’s First Sanctuary to a Tiger Conservation Success Story | International Tiger Day Special
IAS Supriya Sahu Hails Mudumalai's Role in Tiger Conservation on Tiger Day. Declared in 1940, Now Among...
Mangroves
Mangroves: Nature’s Shield Against Disasters, Says Officer Parveen Kaswan on Mangroves Day - Watch His Post Here
Mangroves, with their dense, interlaced root systems, form a mesh-like structure that serves as a buffer...
Retired IPS Inderjit Singh Sidhu
Purpose Doesn’t Retire: How 88-Year-Old Retired DIG Becomes Chandigarh’s ‘Quiet Warrior’ of Cleanliness
Inderjit Singh Sidhu’s Dawn Patrol Earns Applause, Mahindra’s Praise for a Man Who Chose Action Over...
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Latest
Odisha Government
Odisha Elevates Two Promising IFS Officers to Senior Time Scale, Strengthening Forest Leadership - Know More About Them
Yogi Adityanath UP
Uttar Pradesh Floods: CM Yogi Adityanath Forms ‘Team-11’ for Swift and Transparent Flood Relief Across 12 Districts
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
IAS Karn Satyarthi
Ananth Rupanagudi IRAS
WhatsApp Image 2025-07-26 at 13.16
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT