When the second wave of coronavirus inundated India’s and its healthcare system with rapidly rising cases and deaths, and when an already bad situation was worsened by plummeting supply of medical oxygen and Covid-19 vaccines, the Narendra Modi government drew much flak from the international and national media for not taking enough steps to prevent the catastrophe. With Prime Minister Modi not initially responding to such criticism, his detractors soon began projecting his silence as his lack of empathy for public suffering.
Thankfully, the Prime Minister dispelled that notion yesterday during his online address to the nation after launching the eighth instalment of the Rs 19,000 crore worth of financial benefits for 9.5 crore farmers countrywide under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme.
He urged all state governments to crack down on black marketers of essential medicines and supplies, and especially on hoarders of oxygen cylinders, in view of their perpetrations at a time when the nation is facing an acute shortage of vaccines and concentrated oxygen amidst an unprecedented health crisis. As the Prime Minister reminded the nation of how all the three wings of the Indian Armed Forces had been leaving no stone unturned to ensure the smooth supply of the life-saving gas, he also expressed appreciation of healthcare professionals and scientists for their round-the-clock contribution to the fight against Covid-19.
Alerting people living in villages to the dangers of Covid-19, he appealed to them to religiously follow all pandemic safety guidelines and also contribute towards raising awareness about the deadly virus within their communities in order to prevent its speedy spread across rural India. Reiterating how public cooperation and participation “is essential to defeat Covid-19”, he emphasised on the critical importance of social distancing and wearing masks. He also called on his countrymen to take their Covid shots as soon as their turn came.
Most importantly, he repeatedly told during his address that he felt the pain and suffering of the people in the country, especially of those who lost their loved ones. Assuring all that his government was on a war footing against the second Covid wave, the Prime Minister also expressed confidence that the battle against the pandemic would eventually be won.
These reassuring words were the need of the hour as they came at a time when the second wave is peaking and public morale is at an all-time low amidst news of rising deaths and the deafening din of doomsayers. What is even more important is that the reassurance is not just in words but in action as well.
The PMO has been on an overdrive over the past weeks with Prime Minister Modi holding meeting after meeting with Chief Ministers, policymakers, high officials and experts from different fields to find ways to overcome the Covid crisis.
As the Union Health Ministry revealed recently, India has been the fastest to implement the Covid-19 vaccination drive. While the US and China took 115 and 119 days, respectively, to administer 117 crore jabs, India did in 114 days. Besides, government hospitals across the country continue to give free Covid shots to the public. There are positive signs elsewhere, too. India’s exports sector has seen positive year-on-year growth in comparison to not just Covid-hit 2020 but also 2019. The Food Ministry recently declared that wheat procurement this year has risen by well over a third in comparison to the same period last year.
Now that Prime Minister Modi has done what was expected of him as a larger-than-life national leader, the people of India must do their bit, too, until the battle against Covid-19 is well and truly won.
Comment here