In an attempt to encourage people in Tamil Nadu's Nilgiris to get vaccinated against Covid-19, authorities in the district have made it mandatory for those who want to buy alcohol in state-run TASMAC outlets to produce vaccination certificates to prove that they have been fully vaccinated against the virus.

Nilgiris, which is the first district in TN to come up with the strategy, initiated the drive during the beginning of this month. The district collector Innocent Divya reportedly informed that people who wished to buy alcohol must show their vaccine certificate at the counter. "This has been done to achieve 100 percent vaccination (single dose) among the eligible population. In the Nilgiris district, we have vaccinated 97 percent of the residents and are updating the Covid portal," she was quoted as saying by a news agency.

"We found that a few have said that they consume alcohol and therefore, are not willing to take the Covid-19 vaccine. To cover them under the vaccine program, it was decided that anyone who wishes to buy alcohol should show his/her vaccine certificate at the counter or else alcohol will not be sold to them," the collector further specified.