NABFOUNDATION, a not-for-profit, wholly-owned subsidiary of NABARD, has released a short Hindi film to promote vaccination in rural India. This 8 minute short film adopts a unique amalgamation of animation and real-life shooting to systematically break down the myths held by rural Indians around the COVID-19 vaccination.
THE second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic has severely hit the country, particularly impacting rural India. Apart from the issues such as the lack of supplies, one major development observed across rural India has been the bogey of fears, myths and ill conceived notions relating to Covid vaccination.
While the government continues to make significant strides on the supplies front, the sheer lack of knowledge and understanding about the vaccination has emerged has a major hurdle in combating the virus.
A plethora of media articles have corroborated this divide through statistical evidence. As of May 14, 2021, despite 60% of the cases arising from rural India, only 15% of the rural inhabitants had received the first shot of the vaccine, in contrast to 30% of the urban inhabitants. Moreover, in May 2021, 30.3 doses of the vaccine were administered per 100 persons in urban areas as opposed to 12.7 in rural areas.
As a response to this widening gap of confusion, NABARD through its subsidiary NABFOUNDATION, conducted a quick field level research to gain insights about the major fears and questions among rural Indians. A short film with a specific focus on social media was made thereafter addressing these very fears and questions.
On the occasion of release of video, Dr. G R Chintala, Chairman, Nabard stated, “The confusion and anxiety around vaccination in rural India has emerged as a major hurdle in our fight against this virus. This short video is a dedicated effort to bolster the efforts of the Government of India in battling the Covid virus. It addresses major concerns voiced in rural India against vaccination. We believe that it must gain traction on all platforms across the country so as to ensure that every rural Indian is made aware of the benefits of getting vaccinated. We must consider this as our social responsibility and spread awareness through this film to make vaccination a reality for rural India.”
A coordinated effort is being made through the national level network of NABARD offices and district level managers to ensure that the message reaches the last village in the country. State Government departments, rural financial institutions, civil society organizations, FPOs and SHGs are being approached as outreach points to ensure the same.
