India vaccinates record 22 mn people as Modi turns 71

dpa New Delhi Indian Premier Narendra Modi turned 71 on Friday with authorities carrying out a record number of vaccinations and his party launching a sle...

dpaNew Delhi Indian Premier Narendra Modi turned 71 on Friday with authorities carrying out a record number of vaccinations and his party launching a slew of celebrations. The day was marked with events including blood donation camps and distribution of fruits and rations to orphans, the poor and old people’s homes.The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) also printed 50 million postcards with Modi’s photograph and a “thank you” message that will be posted to him by party workers and supporters from across India, domestic media reported.Indian states had administered a record 22 million vaccinations by evening, the government vaccination site showed. The drive saw a whopping 42,000 jabs given per minute or 700 each second, officials said.  India’s performance surpassed its previous daily record of 12.8 million vaccinations, achieved on August 31. More than 43 percent of the over 1.3 billion inhabitants in India, the world’s second-most populous nation after China, have been vaccinated at least once.The BJP’s programmes include holding exhibitions about Modi’s life, cleanliness drives, quiz contests and fairs to showcase the government’s achievements, a statement from the party said.The programmes would end on October 7, the day Modi became chief minister of Gujarat state for the first time in 2001. The BJP celebrates Modi’s birthday every year as Seva Diwas or day of service in Hindi. The extended celebrations this year come at a time when Modi’s popularity appears to have dipped, according to a recent poll by the India Today media group.The government’s handling of the Covid-19 crisis and unemployment have been cited as the main reasons for the sharp dip in his popularity. However, he still topped the list of those deemed suitable to be the next prime minister of India. Political bellwether states of Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat are among those where regional elections are due in 2022. Both are governed by the BJP.The opposition Indian National Congress party’s youth wing gave a call to mark Modi’s birthday as national unemployment day. Congress activists also staged a protest and clashed with the police in New Delhi.