CM Sawant Launches Goa Pulse Polio Drive in Sankhali
Synopsis
Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant launched the state's Pulse Polio Immunisation Campaign in Sankhali on June 28, 2026, calling on all parents to vaccinate their children and protect India's polio-free status. The drive is part of a coordinated national immunisation round.
Key Takeaways
Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant launched the Pulse Polio Immunisation Campaign in Sankhali on June 28, 2026 .
The campaign targets children under five years of age with oral polio vaccine (OPV) drops.
India has been polio-free since 2014 , and continued high-coverage immunisation rounds are essential to maintain that status.
Sankhali , in North Goa's Bicholim taluka , was chosen as the launch venue, highlighting the drive's reach into interior areas.
CM Sawant urged every parent to bring their children forward for vaccination, saying 'every drop counts.' Health teams will conduct mop-up rounds after the primary drive to ensure maximum coverage across North Goa and South Goa .
Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Sunday, June 28, 2026, launched the state's Pulse Polio Immunisation Campaign from Sankhali, reaffirming the government's commitment to protecting children and sustaining India's polio-free status. Sawant urged every parent in the state to ensure their children receive polio drops, stating, 'Every drop counts in building a healthier, stronger Goa.'
Context
The Pulse Polio Immunisation Programme is a nationwide initiative under which children below the age of five are administered oral polio vaccine (OPV) drops on designated immunisation days. India was officially certified polio-free by the World Health Organization (WHO) in March 2014, following the last recorded wild poliovirus case in January 2011. Sustaining that status requires continued, high-coverage immunisation rounds across all states and union territories.
Chief Minister Sawant chose Sankhali — a town in North Goa's Bicholim taluka — as the launch venue, signalling the campaign's reach beyond urban centres into interior parts of the state. The drive is part of a coordinated national immunisation round conducted simultaneously across India.
Policy Backdrop
The Pulse Polio campaign has been a cornerstone of India's public health architecture since its launch in 1995. The programme is jointly executed by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, state governments, and field health workers who set up booths at hospitals, community centres, and transit points to maximise coverage. Goa, despite its small geographic size, conducts the drive across both districts — North Goa and South Goa — to ensure no child is missed.
The campaign's importance has grown in recent years as global poliovirus circulation in neighbouring countries and the detection of vaccine-derived poliovirus strains in parts of the world have kept health authorities on alert. Maintaining near-100 per cent coverage in every immunisation round remains the standard prescribed by public health bodies to prevent re-emergence.
Stakeholders and Impact
The primary beneficiaries are children under the age of five years across Goa. Parents, anganwadi workers, Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs), and government health staff form the operational backbone of the drive. The Chief Minister's presence at the launch is intended to boost community participation and address vaccine hesitancy at the grassroots level.
By publicly inaugurating the campaign, CM Sawant also signals political ownership of public health outcomes — a pattern seen across states where chief ministers personally flag off immunisation rounds to lend visibility and urgency to what are otherwise routine but critical health exercises.
What's Next
Health teams across Goa are expected to fan out to immunisation booths, schools, and transit points over the coming days to administer OPV drops to all eligible children. The state health department will track coverage data and conduct mop-up rounds for children who may have been missed during the primary drive. High vaccination coverage in this round will contribute directly to India's continued polio-free certification and strengthen the state's broader child health indicators.
Point of View
Placing political weight behind routine immunisation to combat complacency in a state that has long been polio-free. The gesture fits a broader national pattern where ruling dispensations use chief ministerial visibility to sustain community trust in vaccination programmes, particularly as global polio risks remain non-zero. For the BJP government in Goa, associating itself with India's polio-free achievement also reinforces a public health governance narrative ahead of future electoral cycles. The emphasis on parental responsibility, rather than state coercion, reflects the softer mobilisation approach that has defined India's immunisation communication since the mid-2000s.
NationPress
28 Jun 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Pulse Polio Immunisation Campaign in Goa?
The Pulse Polio Immunisation Campaign is a government-run drive in which oral polio vaccine drops are administered free of charge to all children under five years of age. Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant launched the latest round in Sankhali on June 28, 2026, as part of a coordinated national immunisation effort.
Where did CM Pramod Sawant launch the Goa polio campaign?
CM Pramod Sawant launched the Pulse Polio campaign in Sankhali, a town in the Bicholim taluka of North Goa, on Sunday, June 28, 2026.
Is India still polio-free in 2026?
Yes. India was certified polio-free by the World Health Organization in March 2014 after the last wild poliovirus case was recorded in January 2011. Annual Pulse Polio immunisation rounds are conducted to maintain this status.
Who should receive polio drops during the Goa campaign?
All children below the age of five years are eligible and should receive oral polio vaccine drops during the campaign, regardless of their previous vaccination history.
Why does Goa continue to hold Pulse Polio drives if India is polio-free?
Continued immunisation is necessary to prevent the re-introduction of poliovirus from countries where the disease still circulates and to guard against vaccine-derived poliovirus strains. High coverage in every round is the standard required to keep India's polio-free certification intact.
