Today is National Immunization Day. The government has decided to administer polio drops to over 17 crore children under five years across the country under the Pulse polio programme for 2016. Speaking at the function on the eve of the National Immunization Day, Health minister J P Nadda said, Polio free status is a treasure for all people. Mr Nadda also applauded the efforts of the thousands of volunteers, frontline workers, health officials across the states and development partners for their tireless efforts in keeping the country polio-free.<br/><br/>AIR correspondent reports, India has been certified polio-free by the World Health Organisation in 2014. In a landmark step to provide double protection to the children, Government has introduced the injectable Inactivated Polio Vaccine IPV into its routine immunization programme along with oral polio vaccine (opv) from 30 November 2015. In the first phase IPV has been introduced in six States Assam, Gujarat, Punjab, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh. Government is also planning to switch from trivalent OPV to bivalent OPV in some months in a globally synchronized manner. An Emergency Preparedness and Response Plan is in place under which Rapid Response Teams have been formed in all States and UTs to respond urgently to any importations of polio virus.