PM Modi appreciates local efforts towards containment of Covid-19

Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his message to the country - ‘Mann ki Baat,’ stated that it is phenomenal how the entire country has tackled the Novel Coronavirus pandemic over the past few months.

“Recovery rate in India is better as compared to other countries, also deaths are lesser than other countries, but losing even one Indian to this virus is tragic,” he said.

He also warned that Covid-19 has not gone away, and stated that it is spreading fast in many areas.

“Wear a mask, maintain two feet worth distance, wash hands, don't spit, and maintain hygiene. We may feel uncomfortable because of the mask, and may want to remove it while talking, but think about doctors and nurses who wear Personal Protective Equipment for hours and are working in dire conditions. We should not act carelessly,” he said.

Praises role of village panchayats

Modi praised the work of village panchayats in controlling Covid-19. He gave an example of Trewa Panchayat in Jammu, where a woman sarpanch Balbir Kaur has arranged for a 30-bed quarantine centre in the village, arranged water on village roads for washing hands and is working on sanitisation of the village.

In Ganderbal, another woman sarpanch Jaituna Begum has created employment opportunities in her village, distributing free ration and masks as well as apple saplings to villagers.

In Anantnag, Mohammed Iqbal who is the Municipal President needed a sprayer for sanitisation and he realised that he will have to get a machine from a different town which costs close to six lakh rupees. So he made a sprayer machine costing Rs 50000 through his own efforts.

PM Modi also gave a clarion call for ‘Aatmanirbhar,’ or self reliant India, citing an example of women self-help groups from Bihar who are making Madhubani painting masks. In the north east’s Tripura, Manipur and Assam, he stated that bamboo is being used to manufacture high quality water bottles and tiffin boxes. In Jharkhand’s Bishanpur, villagers have taken to lemon grass cultivation which takes about four months. There is great demand for lemongrass oil in the market.

In Ladakh and Kutch he praised the innovative ways of fruit farming and preservation.

“In Ladakh, cultivation of Apricot popularly referred to as Chuli or Khubani is widespread. But farmers are facing supply chain issues under changing weather conditions. It is praiseworthy how the Ladakhis are using a solar apricot dryer and space heater to protect the fruit from degrading,” Modi mentioned.

In the desert region of Kutch, Gujarat, farmers have taken to dragon fruit farming. “Many farmers are engaged in this work where innovations are taking place with more production in less land. As this exotic fruit gains popularity among Indian people, the farmers have resolved to reduce dependence on export for dragon fruit,” he said.

In Bihar, youth have taken training from Jaipur, and Bhubaneshwar to start pearl farming, and have started cultivation of pearls in Muzzafarpur, Begusarai and Patna, where they are employing and further training migrant workers returning from other states in order to generate livelihoods.

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