Covid-19 vaccine: Nearby kirana store can help you register; here’s how

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Are you struggling to register yourself for the Covid-19 vaccine? Don’t worry, there’s a fix. You have to go to your nearest general (Kirana) store to schedule the vaccination slot. Fintech firm PayNearby has rolled out plans to leverage its wide distribution network to assist citizens in the vaccination drive.

PayNearby has over 15 lakh small retail outlets all across the country that will handhold the local population in the overall process. Through the assisted method, people can overcome language barriers or access to a smartphone and an internet connection. With the help of the PayNearby app in which the module of CoWin is integrated, the retailers can assist in creating an effective mechanism for a scheduled and organised vaccination process.

Giving impetus

PayNearby said it is essential to drive the Covid-19 immunisation programme at a much faster rate to overcome the current crisis. However, considering how a majority of the population is not tech-savvy, it is imperative to provide them with a platform for a seamless registration.

“Kirana stores are ubiquitous in the country, and retailers enjoy a sense of trust in their surrounding communities, thus allowing them to play a major role in this drive,” said PayNearby.

The second wave of Covid has gripped the country and in order to overcome this pandemic, everyone needs to get vaccinated at the earliest. India on April 30 posted a record daily rise of over 3.86 lakh new Covid-19 cases and continued to post over 3,000 deaths for the third consecutive day.

Considering the grim condition, the government has strictly prohibited walk-ins at the vaccination centres and has made it mandatory for all in the 18-44 age group to register themselves on the CoWIN portal or the Aarogya Setu app from May 1, 2021 onwards.

“Most of the population, especially across semi-urban and rural India are not tech-savvy enough to register themselves successfully on smartphones or website. Additionally, they are also inhibited by language barriers which can hinder the registration process. To combat this challenge, PayNearby has introduced a CoWIN registration module within its trade app. This will enable PayNearby Digital Pradhans to seamlessly assist local communities to register for the vaccination process,” PayNearby said adding it is aiming to register 10 crore citizens, especially across semi-urban and rural India.

How can you locate Kirana stores?

PayNearby module has a share feature through which the retailer can broadcast messages to his customers or contacts via WhatsApp about the vaccination registration available at his store.

“Considering the retailers are providing financial and other digital services to the local communities over a period now, he has a very strong connect with most local customers besides a strong word of mouth communication was well, PayNearby said.