Pulse Polio drops will be given to children below five years of age tomorrow on the National Immunization Day. <br/><br/>President Ram Nath Kovind today launched the countrywide pulse polio programme for the year by administering polio drops to a child at a function in Rashtrapati Bhavan. Health Minister J P Nadda was also present on the occasion. <br/><br/>Mr Nadda said, government is making all the possible efforts to protect children from diseases and in this context, it is important that all vaccines under the programme reach to every last child of the country. <br/><br/>Our correspondent reports that the programme will cover around 17 crore children to maintain the country's polio-free status. <br/><br/>India eradicated wild poliovirus in 2011 and since then no poliovirus has been detected. However, there is a need to remain vigilant and maintain immunity of the population for sustaining polio-free status. <br/><br/>In order to mitigate the risk of polio-virus importation, the immunity against polio infection is maintained through National and Sub-National Polio rounds along with sustained high quality polio surveillance. <br/><br/>Centre has introduced the injectable Inactivated Polio Vaccine into its routine immunization programme to provide additional protection to the children. <br/><br/>Strengthening of immunization programme has certainly contributed to the decline of infant mortality rate from 39 in 2014 to 34 per one thousand live births in 2016. <br/><br/>Centre had launched Mission Indradhanush to ensure full immunization and intensified it in October last year to achieve more than 90 per cent immunization coverage by this year.