Overview
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi is slated to inaugurate the campaign on February 28 in Ajmer, with a high-intensity first phase running 90 days.
- The programme administers a single dose of quadrivalent Gardasil free at designated government facilities, with booking via the U-WIN portal and sessions overseen by trained teams linked to 24×7 care.
- Supplies have been secured through Gavi with about 2.6 crore doses committed and large consignments already sent to states, targeting roughly 1.1–1.2 crore girls who turn 14 each year.
- Officials say the drive begins as a special campaign outside the Universal Immunisation Programme, with phased integration into routine schedules planned later.
- Health authorities and experts cite WHO SAGE support for a one-dose regimen and extensive global safety data, noting HPV types 16 and 18 cause most cases in India, which records nearly 80,000 new cases and over 42,000 deaths annually.