The smart, the wise and the successful around the world have at least this one thing in common: They always use learnings from the past when dealing with the present or planning for the future.
With the Omicron variant of the coronavirus wreaking havoc in the world, having already spread to 108 countries and affecting more than 1.5 lakh people since it was first reported in South Africa in late November, the threat of a third wave of the pandemic is looming larger than ever on India – especially what with the number of Omicron cases countrywide racing past the 415 mark.
Although most Omicron patients here have been asymptomatic or reported mild symptoms, medical experts have cautioned that the variant shows an unusually high number of mutations, which may have implications on its transmissibility and its resistance to Covid-19 vaccines.
Considering the further heightened threat of rapid transmission of the deadly virus during the ongoing holiday season, not to mention the way the variant has overwhelmed the West and compelled the World Health Organisation to change its position on the potential danger from the variant, Prime Minister Narendra Modi wasted no time this time in issuing something of a red alert during his review meeting on the current Covid situation in India.
As he instructed the Centre to closely work with all states and help them ramp up their public health defences through containment and management measures, the Prime Minister directed all officials concerned to make sure that the health system in all states is fortified at all levels to tackle the Omicron threat. Remembering the nightmarish shortage of oxygen at medical facilities during the peak of the second Covid-19 wave, Modi laid particular emphasis at the meeting on adequate availability of fully functional oxygen supply equipment across the country.
It is this perennial eagerness to usher in changes for the better and readiness to alter his own approach to administration, whenever or wherever necessary, that has made Prime Minister Modi not only the driving force behind the Bharatiya Janata Party’s electoral success at the national level over the past seven years, but also the quintessential and indispensable leader of a new and audaciously aspirational India that is now enjoying a deservedly elevated position on the global stage.
This success story is not much dissimilar to the one of Odisha. Under the inspirational leadership of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik over the past 21 years, the state has seen an incredible turnaround in its fortunes. His holistic approach to development at all levels and sectors and for all sections of the society has made Odisha a top investment destination, a sports hub, a fast-emerging eco-tourism hotspot and a model state at large. The same approach has ensured Odisha’s past success against the Covid-19 pandemic as much as it assures of future safety against the Omicron.
Aided by an excellent team of ace bureaucrats and committed political leaders, the five-time Chief Minister is not only taking Odisha to new heights but also ensuring the sustained success of the Biju Janata Dal. The BJD has, therefore, little to worry about the upcoming Panchayat polls – just as the BJP and Indians can rest assured of a brighter future under Prime Minister Modi.
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