India administered more than 2 crore Covid vaccine doses in a day on Friday in a record-breaking effort to mark Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 71st birthday.
The achievement smashed the country's previous record of more than 1.3 crore doses in a day on 27 August.
India has so far given more than 787 million doses of three approved jabs.
More than half of India's eligible population – some 588 million people – have received at least one dose of a Covid vaccine, according to official data.
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The one crore-mark was crossed by the afternoon, after which ministers and BJP leaders put out tweets urging more people to get their shots.
"On PM @Narendra Modi Ji''s birthday, till 1:30 pm, the country has crossed the mark of 1 crore vaccines, the fastest so far, and we are continuously moving forward. I believe that today we will all make a new record of vaccination and give it as a gift to the prime minister," Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya tweeted with the hashtags "VaccineSeva" and "HappyBdayModiji".
The government's tracker showed around 42,000 vaccinations in a minute, said a senior health officer.
"Celebrating the relentless efforts of India's vaccinators against COVID-19, we have added a ticker to show vaccinations happening in near real-time. We are currently clocking over 42,000 vaccinations/minute or 700/second," tweeted National Health Authority chief RS Sharma.
"Our top priority is to give 100 per cent first doses of the vaccine in poll-bound states," said government sources, referring to state elections next year.
The vaccination campaign is at the core of the BJP's three-week celebrations to mark the Prime Minister's 71st birthday.
Since 16 January, India has administered more than 78.7 crore doses.
About 58.8 crore people have received the first dose and another 19.5 crore have received both doses so far.
India gave 60 lakh jabs on an average every day in August, compared to 43 lakh daily jabs in July, according to official data. But September has seen a rise with more than 74 lakh doses administered daily as vaccine production has been stepped up in the country.
