PM's call to states to keep lockdown as last resort: Assocham

MANGALURU: Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call to the states to keep

lockdown

as the last resort and his assurance to the nation that the critical medical supplies including oxygen and essential medicines are being boosted, will prove to be an effective messaging of confidence for the people battling the gravest health crisis ever faced by mankind,

Assocham

secretary general

Deepak Sood

said.


''While we have been standing with the states forced to resort to lockdown because of worsening pandemic situation, the livelihood concerns are also critical. That is what the Prime Minister has advised states to do. His advice to follow the micro-containment zone strategy is worth following by the states which are also working on a war footing. As a nation, this is the challenge each one of us -government, industry and the people have to face and come out as winners. The Prime Minister's messaging would buttress this belief in difficult times," said Sood.

The concern for the migrant labourers returning to their native places has also been shared by the Prime Minister and "it is up to us, the industry to reach out to our workforce and stand by them in the hour of crisis. We in the Assocham would send this appeal to all our 4.5 lakh members". Several industry houses have already started responding to the national call.

The measures like widening the vaccination coverage by lowering the eligibility age to 18 years, doubling down on ramp-up of the drugs and medicine production and most importantly increasing oxygen supplies are important measures for fighting the battle against coronavirus, the chamber said.