Small and medium businesses in India are giving out freebies to encourage more people to get the COVID-19 vaccineBCCL
Bhakarwadi is a popular snack from western India. And, if you live in Pune, the most well known bhakarwadi maker is the Chitale group.
The Mahrashtrian snack producer has joined hands with the Mahratta Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture (MCCIA) to dole out free bhakarwadi to those who can prove they have gotten vaccinated.
The goldsmith community in Gujarat came together to incentivise the citizens of Rajkot to get vaccinated. The Soni community teamed up with the Rajkot Municipal Corporation to organise vaccine camps across the city on April 2 and April 3 as per Jagran Josh.
Women who got vaccinated at these camps — located at Kishor Singhji Primary School, Kothariya Naka and Soni Market — were the recipients of gold nose pins and the men were given hand blenders.
Jaan Vision, an organisation in Rajkot district of Gujarat, is providing free food to those who get vaccinated. "We're providing breakfast, lunch, dinner so people don't stress about having to work after going home. They can relax here," an organiser told ANI.
In another city of Gujarat, Mehsana, a car workshop is forgoing labour charges on car serving and offering a 10% discount on car accessories to vaccinated individuals.
All you have to do is show your vaccination certificate.
Kamlesh Shah, who owns a stationery shop next to Rhino Circle in Gujarat’s Vadodara, is offering customers a 10% discount to help boost the rate of vaccination in the city. All they have to do is show up with their vaccination certificate.
“The vaccination drive began some months ago but many people are still not taking the vaccine. COVID-19 cases have been on the rise so people need to take the vaccine as early as possible,” he told the Times of India.
Indian Grill Room, a fine dining restaurant on Gurgaon’s Gold Road, is offering free beer to anyone who comes with their vaccine card. However, ‘terms and conditions’ do apply. When Business Insider tried to call the restaurant for more details, the call was repeatedly disconnected.
In East Delhi, restaurant owner Mustakim Ahmed is giving a 30% discount on biryani and 25% discount on chicken dishes to customers who can verify that they have been vaccinated against COVID-19.
In Central Delhi’s Connaught Place, restaurants are doling out free food, sweets and ice cream to those who have been vaccinated.
Restaurants and hotels in Old Delhi too are giving out special discounts of 20% to 30% to those carrying a vaccine card.
If you don’t have your vaccine card, some vendors are prepared to take a valid mobile phone message confirming the vaccination as proof, too, according to Jagran Josh.
The mayor of North Delhi, Jai Prakash, announced a tax incentive for residents to get vaccinated.
The North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) already offers a 15% tax rebate on filing property tax returns before June. However, if all eligible members of a household are vaccinated, they will get an additional rebate of 5% for filing their property tax on time — culminating in a rebate of 20%.
According to the Navbharat Times, the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) is also considering a similar measure to help encourage more of its citizens to get vaccinated — and help help increase the tax net.
The cab-hailing company was one of the first on the scene to boost vaccination rates. It announced a ₹10 crore programme on March 8 offering free rides — of upto ₹150 — to and from vaccination centres across 35 Indian cities.
Uber will enable a code to be used by anybody who opens the app and is either booking a ride for themselves or for somebody in their family who needs to go to the vaccination centre.
"The moment you enter a destination or pickup location which is either of these vaccination centres, and you apply the code, the ride discount will get applied which will allow you to avail the offer," said Prabhjeet Singh, president of Uber India and South Asia.
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