DW BUREAU / SAMRALA Bhikhi village in Payal constituency, 15 km from here, became the first village of Ludhiana with 100 percent coverage of all 18+ persons vaccinated today. Payal MLA Lakhvir Singh Lakha said that the population of village Bhikhi is 1700, out of which 947 residents are above 18 years of age. He said that barring 18 pregnant women and some unfit for vaccination due to health issues, all 905 eligible persons were vaccinated today. He said that now all the eligible residents of this village have received at least one dose of vaccine. A function in this regard was organised in the village, in which the residents were felicitated by MLA Lakhvir Singh Lakha, ADC (Development) Sandeep Kumar, SDM Mankanwal Singh Chahal besides others. ADC (D) Sandeep Kumar informed that the village panchayat has thus emerged pioneer among civic bodies eligible for a special grant of Rs 10 lakh, announced earlier by the Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh. Deputy Commissioner Varinder Kumar Sharma also congratulated the village residents and urged other villages of district Ludhiana to get vaccinated in large numbers so that we can weed out Covid-19. Appreciating coordinated efforts made by officials led by SDM Mankanwal Singh Chahal in implementing guidelines on prevention of spread of Coronavirus in the region, MLA Lakhvir Singh Lakha said it was due to efforts of the ground level healthcare workers and the panchayat members, that all the 905 eligible beneficiaries of Bhikhi villages were persuaded and vaccinated during camps organised from time to time. "While Bhikhi village has already emerged frontier among hundred percent target achievers, there are many other localities which have crossed 90 percent landmark," said Lakha maintaining that he had already spoken to concerned authorities for initiation of a process for release of special grant for the village. (editor@dailyworld.in)