GHMC switches to e-coupons for vaccine drive

To make sure only beneficiaries under the high risk category are administered with the free vaccine, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) has changed its strategies for the exercise.

The civic body officials who were distributing the vaccination coupons by visiting stalls as part of the massive Covid-19 vaccination drive are now enrolling them in the State government’s vaccine portal and generating e-coupons.

On pilot basis, the project commenced in GHMC Serilingampally circle and parts of Khairatabad zone and plans are drawn to extend it to other parts of the city too.

As a part of the exercise of switching to e-coupons from manual coupons, selected GHMC staffers were given login credentials of the government app. These staffers went around the grocery shops and markets – vegetables, fruits and meat – to identify the beneficiaries. 

On



shortlisting the beneficiaries, their details were entered in the portal following which the beneficiaries received text messages which will serve as e-coupons to take the free jab. The person needs to show an e-coupon at the vaccination centre to enter its premises.

In GHMC Serilingampally circle, 516 e-coupons were issued and 464 people turned up at the vaccination centre on Sunday. The drive was held successfully across the city for the third consecutive day. Around 22,603 persons were administered with the vaccine in GHMC limits on Sunday.

The civic body has decided to vaccinate around 3 lakh people as part of the drive. Those working in rythu bazars, grocery shops, wine shops, street vendors, salon shops, laundry service, pan shops and markets (vegetable, fruits, flowers, chicken, meat, fish) have been categorised as high risk groups and are eligible for free vaccines.