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India, facing a double whammy of ‘vaccine shortage’ and ‘vaccine hesitancy’, should allow private vaccination centres to provide on-spot registration facility for citizens in the 18-44 age group to give the jab drive a leg-up.

Digital divide is proving to be a big hindrance. Hand-holding is the need of the hour.

Not only people at the bottom of the pyramid, even educated senior citizens are struggling to register themselves on the platform to get the jab.

Although smartphone penetration has helped in amplifying the awareness initiatives in rural India and smaller towns, a section of the population has not been able to take advantage of its benefits.

It is incumbent on the government to make sure these citizens are part of this vaccination drive.

Lack of technological awareness should not be the reason for someone missing out on the vaccine.

The government can ill-afford to tolerate operational drawbacks and if needed, should provide more financial support to ensure inoculation of every citizen.

If the government wants to stick to the deadline for inoculating every citizen by December this year, then it needs to tweak its strategy. The current one has limitations and time is running out.

The second wave of the deadly coronavirus has already caused enough damage and we cannot afford to let the vaccination drive momentum slip further.