PM Modi launches nationwide HPV vaccination campaign for 14-year-old girls from Ajmer
Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the nationwide Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination campaign for 14-year-old girls from Ajmer, Rajasthan, on 28 February 2026, along with projects worth about ₹17,000 crore.
Summary
Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the nationwide Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination campaign for 14-year-old girls from Ajmer, Rajasthan, on 28 February 2026, to prevent cervical cancer. The programme uses Gardasil-4, a quadrivalent vaccine against HPV types 6, 11, 16 and 18, as a single 0.5 ml dose. It is voluntary, free and given only with parental consent at government health facilities, with registration and consent recorded on the U-WIN platform. It covers girls who have completed 14 but not 15 years, an annual cohort of about 1.2 crore, in a 90-day campaign followed by routine immunisation. Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer among Indian women, with over 1.2 lakh new cases and nearly 80,000 deaths a year (GLOBOCAN 2022). At the same event Modi launched projects worth about ₹17,000 crore in Rajasthan and handed appointment letters to over 21,000 recruits.
Key facts
- Date and place
- 28 February 2026, Ajmer, Rajasthan
- Target
- Girls aged 14 (completed 14, not 15); ~1.2 crore a year
- Vaccine
- Gardasil-4 (quadrivalent: HPV 6, 11, 16, 18); single 0.5 ml dose
- Terms
- Voluntary, free, parental consent; government facilities only
- Platform
- U-WIN (registration, consent); e-VIN (stocks)
- Campaign
- 90 days, then routine immunisation
- Also launched
- Projects worth ~₹17,000 crore in Rajasthan
Practice MCQs 5 questions
From which city did PM Modi launch the nationwide HPV vaccination campaign on 28 February 2026?
Show answer
Correct answer: D — Ajmer
The nationwide HPV vaccination campaign was launched from Ajmer, Rajasthan.
The nationwide HPV vaccination campaign launched in February 2026 primarily aims to prevent which disease?
Show answer
Correct answer: B — Cervical cancer
The campaign aims to prevent cervical cancer, mainly caused by high-risk HPV types 16 and 18.
Which vaccine does India's national HPV programme use?
Show answer
Correct answer: D — Gardasil-4 (quadrivalent)
India's national programme uses Gardasil-4, covering HPV types 6, 11, 16 and 18, in a single-dose schedule.
Which digital platform is used for registration and recording parental consent in the HPV vaccination campaign?
Show answer
Correct answer: B — U-WIN
Beneficiaries can pre-register on U-WIN, where parental consent is recorded digitally; e-VIN manages vaccine stocks.
Consider the following statements about India's HPV vaccination campaign launched on 28 February 2026: 1. The vaccine is given as a single dose to girls who have completed 14 but not 15 years of age. 2. Vaccination is also offered at private hospitals in campaign mode. Which of the above is/are correct?
Show answer
Correct answer: A — 1 only
Only statement 1 is correct. Session sites are only government health facilities, such as Ayushman Arogya Mandirs, PHCs, CHCs, district hospitals and government medical colleges.