NEW DELHI: Prime Minister
Narendra Modi on Saturday interacted with chief ministers of all the states and Union territories via video conferencing to strategize ahead for tackling the COVID-19 pandemic.
Underlining that the motto of the government earlier was ‘jaan hai to jahaan hai’ but now is ‘jaan bhi jahaan bhi’, Prime Minister Modi said that there seems to be a consensus amongst the states on extension of
lockdown
by another two weeks.
During the third such interaction of the Prime Minister with the chief ministers, Modi observed that the combined effort of the Centre and the states has definitely helped reduce the impact of COVID-19 but since the situation is rapidly evolving, constant vigilance is paramount.
Modi emphasized the criticality of coming 3-4 weeks for determining the impact of the steps taken till now to contain the virus, adding that teamwork is the key to facing the challenge.
The Prime Minister assured that India has adequate supplies of essential medicines and said that measures are being taken to ensure availability of protective gear and critical equipment for all front-line workers.
Modi also gave a stern message against black marketing and hoarding.
Condemning and expressing distress at the instances of attacks on the doctors and medical staff, and at incidents of misbehavior with students from northeast and
Kashmir, Prime Minister said, "Such cases need to be dealt with firmly."
He also spoke about the need to curb lockdown violations and ensure that social distancing is followed.
The Prime Minister talked about strengthening healthcare infrastructure and reaching out to patients through tele-medicine.
"Direct marketing for farm produce can be incentivised to prevent crowding in mandis, for which model APMC laws should be reformed swiftly. Such steps will help farmers sell products at their doorstep,"
PM Modi said.
Modi also spoke about popularizing the 'Aarogya Setu' app to ensure downloads in greater numbers while referring to how South Korea and Singapore got success in contact tracing. "Based on those experiences, India has made its own effort through the app which will be an essential tool in India’s fight against the pandemic," he said.
He also referred to the possibility of the app being an e-pass which could subsequently facilitate travel from one place to another.
Talking about the economic challenges, the Prime Minister said that the crisis is an opportunity to become self-reliant and turn the nation into an economic powerhouse.
The chief ministers provided feedback about the COVID positive cases in their respective states, steps taken by them to maintain social distancing, ramp up healthcare infrastructure, mitigate difficulties of migrants and maintain supply of essentials.
The chief ministers suggested that the lockdown should be extended by two weeks. They also sought financial and fiscal assistance from the Contre to boost their resources in this fight against the pandemic.