Delhi's Red Fort Lit in tricolour to celebrate India's 1 billion COVID-19 vaccination milestone.
Iconic monuments across the country are being lit up in the tricolour to celebrate India's milestone of administering more than 100 crore COVID-19 vaccine doses.
The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is lighting up 100 of its heritage monuments today in colours of the national flag to mark the landmark achievement.
"To express gratitude towards corona warriors -- vaccinators, sanitation staff, paramedics, auxiliary workers, police personnel -- who have worked beyond their call of duty to help the country face the pandemic effectively and for their selfless service to the humankind, the 100 monuments will remain lit in tricolour on the night of October 21 as India achieved the landmark 100-crore vaccination mark," the Ministry of Culture said in a statement.
Photos and videos from different monuments such as Delhi's Qutub Minar, Red Fort and Humayun's Tomb, Hyderabad's Char Minar and Tripura's Bhubaneswari Temple were shared on social media websites.
Visuals showed the monuments bathed in the tricolour this evening as several people gathered around to take in the vibrant sights.
The celebration is a tribute to health professionals, frontline workers, scientists, vaccine manufacturers and the citizens of the country who bravely fought the pandemic, officials said.
Some other UNESCO World Heritage Sites that are being lit up include Tughlaqabad Fort, Purana Qila, Fatehpur Sikri Agra, Ramappa Temple, Hampi, Dholavira (Gujarat), ancient Leh Palace; Currency Building and Metcalf Hall in Kolkata; Khajuraho temples (Madhya Pradesh), and Golconda Fort in Hyderabad.
Delhi's Humayun's Tomb lit up in tricolour.
India reached the one billion COVID-19 vaccinations milestone this morning. The government wants all of India's 944 million adults to get vaccinated this year. Three-quarters of adults in the country of 1.3 billion people have had one shot and around 30 percent are fully vaccinated, the government said.