Health Minister Harch Vardhan launches Mission Indradhanush 3.0

Health Minister Harch Vardhan launches Mission Indradhanush 3.0

• The Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan launched the Intensified Mission Indradhanush 3.0, (IMI 3.0) on February 19, 2021, to expand immunization coverage across the country. 
• The focus of IMI 3.0 will be on children and pregnant women who missed their vaccine doses during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The IMI 3.0 will have two rounds, of 15 days each. The first round will begin on February 22, 2021 and the second round will begin on March 22, 2021.
• The vaccination drive will be conducted in pre-identified 250 districts and urban areas across 29 States and UTs in the country to reach out to every dropped out and left out child and pregnant woman. 

Mission Indradhanush

• The scheme was launched in 2014 to provide affordable and accessible healthcare to all citizens of the country.
• It aims to immunise all children under the age of 2 years, as well as all pregnant women, against eight vaccine preventable diseases. These diseases are diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus, poliomyelitis, tuberculosis, measles, meningitis and Hepatitis B.