Srinagar
Prime minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday extended the lockdown in India till May 3.
India’s combat with the Coronavirus pandemic is going ahead with full force, says Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
He credits the People of India for the “discipline and sacrifice” of the people because of which we were able to withstand the full force of the pandemic.
“I know there have been many difficulties of people stuck away from home but you have persisted in this fights. I bow to you,” he says.
Your efforts exemplify what is meant by the phrase “We the People of India” in our Constitution, Mr. Modi says invoking B.R. Ambedkar on his birth anniversary.
“This is true homage to the framer of the Constitution Babhasaheb Ambedkar. I on behalf of all bow to him on his birth anniversary, as we take on the lessons of his life of prevailing despite hardship,” he says.
He also reminds it is the New Year for several people. “In many states today also marks the beginning of the new year,” he says. The way people are maintaining discipline and celebrating these festivals with simplicity is something to be inspired by and appreciated, he adds.
Today, the situation with regard to this pandemic is familiar to all, Modi says highlighting the nation’s efforts to combat the pandemic. He recalls how India started screening people returning from abroad even before the disease was detected in the country.
We declared lockdown when there were as many as 550 cases, he says. “We did not procrastinate but tried to address crisis as and when they did.”
It may not be correct to compare our efforts with other nations, but India is better positioned than many developed nations, he says. In several countries, the fatality rate and the number of cases is much higher than India, Modi says.
We managed to contain the epidemic by effectively following social distancing and lockdown, Prime Minister Narendra Modi says. Yes, we have paid a big price due to lockdown, but this nothing in front of the lives of the Indian citizens, Modi says.
Despite all these efforts, coronavirus is spreading at an astonishing rate, Modi notes.
We had lengthy discussion with states and experts. While several states have already extended the lockdown, the nationwide lockdown will be extended till May 3, Modi says.
“Till May 3rd we must remain under lockdown and observe the same discipline,” Modi says.
My request to all countrymen is that we must prevent the spread of Coronavirus to any place, Modi says. The number of hotspots should not be allowed to increase at any cost, the Prime Minister says.
“We must now dilineate hotspots and observe diseases surveillance. The creation of new hotspots will be challenging to our efforts. In the next week therefore, the fight against Corona will be stricter,” Modi said.
“Till April 20,all districts, localities, states will be closely monitored, as to how strictly they are implementing norms. States which will not let hotspots increase, they could be allowed to let some important activities resume, but with certain conditions,” said PM Modi.
PM Modi says, “With fast action and early lockdown, India has done much better than the bigger nations. The figures from these developed nations show that we are doing much better.”
PM Modi says India acted very early to contain the coronavirus problem. “Screenings started even before India reported any Covid-19 cases,” says PM Modi, adds, “We didn’t wait for the problem to get out of hands”.
India reports 1,211 new coronavirus cases and 31 deaths reported in the last 24 hours. Total number of coronavirus cases in India has crossed 10,000 with 339 deaths.
