Free HPV Vaccine Rollout Begins

PM Modi launches nationwide drive for 14-year-old girls from Rajasthan

February 28, 2026: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday launched a nationwide Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination campaign from Rajasthan, aiming to prevent cervical cancer among adolescent girls. The initiative will cover nearly 1.15 crore 14-year-old girls annually across all States and Union Territories. The vaccine will be administered free of cost at government-run facilities, including Ayushman Arogya Mandirs, community health centres, district and sub-district hospitals, and government medical colleges.

According to the Union Health Ministry, the vaccination programme will be voluntary and require informed consent from parents or guardians. The campaign will run in mission mode for the first three months, enabling eligible girls to receive doses daily at designated centres. Thereafter, the HPV vaccine will be integrated into routine immunisation schedules. The large-scale rollout targets cervical cancer, one of the leading causes of cancer-related illness among women in India, with experts calling vaccination a crucial preventive step.

During his visit, Modi also inaugurated and laid foundation stones for major infrastructure projects to strengthen connectivity and economic growth. These include the Bandikui–Jaipur four-lane greenfield expressway, a six-lane section of the Amritsar–Jamnagar economic corridor, and an eight-lane stretch of the Delhi–Vadodara expressway. He also laid the foundation for a four-lane elevated road in Jodhpur and the Malabmori–Mangrol–Baran State Highway in Baran district.