Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a “nationwide” HPV vaccination campaign. “We are leaving no stone unturned to ensure that the daughters of the country are healthy and prosperous. In this direction, this morning around 11:30 AM, I will launch the nationwide HPV vaccination campaign in Ajmer, Rajasthan. The objective of this initiative is the prevention of cervical cancer,” Modi explained. “During this time, I will also have the opportunity to lay the foundation stones and inaugurate several projects, along with handing over appointment letters to my young colleagues,” he added. देश की बेटियां स्वस्थ और समृद्ध हों, इसके लिए हम कोई कोर-कसर नहीं छोड़ रहे हैं। इसी दिशा में आज सुबह करीब 11:30 बजे राजस्थान के अजमेर में एचपीवी टीकाकरण के देशव्यापी अभियान का शुभारंभ करूंगा। इस पहल का उद्देश्य सर्वाइकल कैंसर की रोकथाम है। इस दौरान कई परियोजनाओं के शिलान्यास और… — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 28, 2026 News18 shared further: India’s decision to roll out free HPV vaccination for adolescent girls marks a pivotal moment in the country’s public health journey, one that shifts the focus from treatment to prevention, and from late diagnosis to early protection. By offering the vaccine free of cost to 14-year-old girls, the government is targeting the disease at its root, long before it has the opportunity to develop. Cervical cancer remains one of the most common cancers among Indian women, despite being largely preventable. The primary cause is persistent infection with high-risk strains of the Human Papillomavirus (HPV), a widespread virus that many individuals are exposed to at some point in their lives. Vaccination during adolescence, before exposure, offers the highest level of protection. Dr. Srinivas C H, MS Ortho, Fellowship in Orthopedic Oncology, CEO and Consultant Orthopedic Onco Surgeon, Prakriya Hospitals, Bangalore, describes the nationwide campaign as transformative. “India’s nationwide HPV vaccination drive for adolescent girls is a transformative step in women’s health, because it prevents cervical cancer before it even begins to develop,” he says. By removing cost as a barrier and delivering the vaccine at the recommended age, he notes, the programme ensures protection when it is most effective. “In the future, I plan to allocate funds for cervical cancer research, targeting young girls,” Modi told Bill Gates in 2024. “I aim to encourage our scientists to conduct local research to make vaccines. My goal is to vaccinate all girls in our country at minimal cost, ensuring that they are protected from cancer,” Modi continued. “This is the direction I’m currently working in. Once my government is elected again, my priority will be to invest significantly in this research to safeguard the lives of our daughters,” he added. Footage below: Bill Gates wrote in 2024: Health is one area where India is making a big difference. This country is the world’s largest producer of vaccines—it supplies more than 60 percent of all vaccines distributed by Gavi, the organization that has helped vaccinate more than 1 billion children in lower-income countries. Indian companies pioneered the creation of high-quality, low-cost vaccines and drugs, leading the world in making affordable treatments for diseases like HIV/AIDS as well as vaccines for rotavirus, pneumococcal pneumonia, and COVID. The government has helped deliver huge supplies of vaccines to its own people and to other low- and middle-income countries, and now it’s looking to do the same for medical devices and diagnostics. Thanks in large part to India, developing countries now get new medicines and vaccines much faster than they used to. I rank these efforts as one of the most important health achievements ever. (We’ve made progress, but we’re not done. The world should still do more to shrink the gap between when a drug or vaccine becomes available in rich countries and when it reaches lower-income ones.)