Speed Post News Network
New Delhi : PM Narendra Modi on June 17, 2020, held the second part of two- day interaction with Chief Ministers via video conferencing to discuss the situation post Unlock 1.0 and plan for tackling the COVID-19 pandemic. He observed that the spread of the virus is greater in certain big states and cities. High density of population, difficulty in maintaining physical distancing, and daily movement of people in huge numbers has made the situation challenging, yet through patience of citizens, readiness of administration, and dedication of corona warriors, the spread has been kept under control, the PM said.
Through timely tracing, treatment, and reporting, the number of those recovering is rising, he said. He added that the discipline shown by people during Lockdown has prevented the exponential growth of the virus.
Ramping up of health infrastructure – The PM talked about the presence of better health infrastructure and trained manpower to meet the challenge. He highlighted the increase in domestic manufacturing capabilities of PPEs, masks, availability of diagnostic kits in adequate quantity, supply of ventilators made in India using PM CARES fund, availability of testing labs, lakhs of COVID special beds, thousands of isolation and quarantine centres, and adequate human resource through training.
The PM stressed the importance of testing to quickly trace, track and isolate those affected. The existing testing capacity needs to be utilised fully along with constant efforts for expansion, he said. He mentioned the benefits of telemedicine and the need to create a big team of senior doctors who can guide and inform the sick through this means. He also talked about spreading timely and correct information through the helplines and the need to build a team of young volunteers to run the helplines effectively.
Battling fear and stigma : The Prime Minister observed that the States where Aarogya Setu app has been downloaded in large numbers are witnessing positive results. Efforts should be made to increase the reach of the app, he said. He talked about being vigilant against health related problems that come with the Monsoon. He also underlined the emotional aspect of the battle against the virus, including battling fear of being afflicted and the stigma attached by making people aware of the high number of those who have defeated the virus and recovered. Our priority must remain to help and support our corona warriors, doctors and health care workers.
Chief Ministers speak : The interaction witnessed participation of States and UTs including Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Delhi, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Karnataka, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Jammu & Kashmir, Telangana, and Odisha.
The Chief Ministers thanked the Prime Minister for his leadership and briefed him about the ground situation in the states and their preparedness to tackle the impact of the virus. They talked about health infrastructure available to meet the challenge and steps taken to strengthen it further, support provided to frontline workers, monitoring in containment zones, campaigns to encourage usage of masks and other safety precautions, increase in testing, and providing gainful employment opportunities to the migrants who have returned.
Unlock 2.0 : PM Modi thanked the Chief Ministers for their views. He mentioned that the collective commitment to fight against the virus will lead us to victory, while also talking about the need to speed up economic activities with due precautions in place. He talked about the need to fight rumours of lockdown mentioning that the country is now in phase of Unlocking. “We need to now think about phase 2 of Unlock and how to minimise all possibilities of harm to our people,” he said, according to a PIB release.
He noted that with reduction in restrictions, indicators of economic performance are showing signs of revival. Inflation has also been kept under control. He asked the States to take steps to boost infrastructure and construction related work. He listed steps taken under Atmanirbhar Bharat to provide a fillip to MSMEs, farming and agriculture marketing.