As daily COVID-19 cases topped 1,84,372 on Wednesday and daily deaths set a new record of 1,027 after six months, Prime Minister Narendra Modi assured that the government was committed to ensuring adequate vaccine supplies to fight the virus.
In a virtual COVID review meeting this evening, the PM urged governors and LGs to turn the fight against COVID-19 into a ‘janbhagidari' and harness the strength of social organisations and NGOs for micro containment efforts and procurement of medical supplies, including ambulances, oxygen and ventilators in hospitals.
Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu, who also attended the meeting, urged the governors to act as consensus builders in this critical time and called upon everyone to set aside political differences to defeat the pandemic.
The PM said, “The government is committed to ensuring adequate availability of vaccines. India has become the fastest nation to reach the landmark of 10 crore vaccinations.”
Noting the positive impact of Tika Utsav in the last four days, the PM said in this period, the vaccination drive was expanded and new vaccination centres came up.
Addressing governors, the PM said along with the vaccines, Indian values and sense of duty were biggest national strengths at this critical time.
“The feeling of janbhagidari we saw last year needs to be encouraged again. The role of the governors becomes all the more critical to achieve this. The governors are an important link to ensure better coordination between states and society and to harness the combined power of community organisations, political parties, NGOs and social institutions,” the PM said on a day when painful images of COVID patients dying from lack of medical attention streamed across social media and India's active caseload rose to 13,65,704 making up 9.84 per cent of the total 1,38,73,825 cases. Daily toll of 1,027 today was the highest since October 18, last year.
The PM said governors could engage to ensure that social institutions helped states with micro containment.
“Social networks can help ensure an increase in the capacity of ambulances, ventilators and oxygen in hospitals,” the PM said.
He also urged the youth an important part of the economy, to follow Covid protocols and said the governors' role was critical in ensuring greater engagement of university students towards janbhagidari.
“We also need to focus on better utilisation of facilities at university and college campuses,” the PM said stressing the need to raise RT-PCR testing capacity and noting that all test equipment was not available on the government e-portal.
RT-PCR testing needs to be increased from 60 per cent to 70 per cent, the PM said.
The vice president stressed COVID appropriate behaviour and called for “test, track and treat” strategy with renewed vigour. He urged states to “keep political differences aside and act together as a team”.
82.04 % DAILY CASES IN 10 STATES
Ten states—Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Rajasthan have accounted for 82.04 pc of new COVID cases today. Maharashtra also reported 60,212; Uttar Pradesh 17,963 and Chhattisgarh 15,121.
