Drive to vaccinate over 10,000 devotees before Chhath Puja launched in Delhi

Puri was accompanied by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Manoj Tiwari.

Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Tuesday launched a special vaccination campaign for devotees who will be keeping a fast on Chhath festival following Diwali in northeast Delhi’s Burari area. The vaccination drive will be held in Burari’s Ibrahimpur village.

Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri with BJP MP Manoj Tiwari at a special Covid-19 vaccination drive for Chhath devotees at Burari in New Delhi (HT Photos)

Puri was accompanied by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Manoj Tiwari. Later, Puri and Tiwari shared pictures of the campaign’s launch on Twitter. The Union minister also sought blessings for all from ‘Chhathi Maiya’ in Bhojpuri.

The Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), in its order on September 30, prohibited the celebration of Chhath at riverbanks, water bodies and temples citing restrictions due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The DDMA, however, is expected to permit the festival at public places after its meeting on Wednesday.

Tiwari said the decision to vaccinate ‘Chhathvratis’ (those keeping fast) was launched to ensure the festival will be celebrated safely. More than 10,000 people will be administered jabs across New Delhi during the campaign.

“In this campaign, 10,000 devotees who would perform the puja but who could not get inoculated (against Covid) due to some reason would be covered,” Tiwari had said on Monday.

Chhath is celebrated after Diwali by people from Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh and the ritual involves the offering of ‘Arghya’ by fasting women to the Sun god in knee-deep water.

Earlier this month, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal wrote to Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal requesting him to allow Chhath Puja in the national capital.