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The Maharashtra government is planning to seek Bollywood star Salman Khan’s help to encourage the Muslim community to take Covid-19 vaccine shots. Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope hinted at the move while mentioning that many people in the Muslim-dominated areas are hesitant towards taking Covid-19 vaccine doses.

“There is still some hesitancy in Muslim-dominated areas. We have decided to use Salman Khan and religious leaders to convince the Muslim community to take the vaccine,” Rajesh Tope was quoted by news agency PTI as saying.

He emphasised that religious leaders and film actors wield great influence on people, noting that in some areas the pace of vaccination is low.

Echoing the same, Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar said, “Whenever vaccination happened, there were religious apprehensions in Muslims, which delayed it slightly. [We are] hoping that they [Muslims] will take jabs and actors like Salman Khan should encourage them.”

‘ALL ELIGIBLE PEOPLE WILL RECEIVE FIRST DOSE BY NOVEMBER END’

Rajesh Tope said that over 10.25 crore vaccine doses have been administered in Maharashtra so far, and by the end of November all eligible persons will have received at least the first dose.

About the possibility of a third wave of the viral infection, Rajesh Tope said that as per the experts, the pandemic has a seven-month cycle, but due to large-scale vaccination, the next wave would not be severe.

People should follow the Covid-19 safety protocol and get vaccinated, he added.

Last week, Mumbai achieved 100 per cent target of the first dose of Covid-19 vaccination to its citizens. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said that based on the census data and the number of eligible citizens, the government had set a target for all local bodies to be vaccinated in their respective areas.

Meanwhile, BMC commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal and Additional Municipal Commissioner (Western Suburbs) Suresh Kanani appealed to the eligible citizens to complete their second dose of the vaccine as well.

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India today

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