Prime Minister Narendra Modi today interacted with field officials from States and Districts to converse about their experience in handling the pandemic.
He said, despite being themselves COVID positive, many officials kept on serving the people. He added that many officials lost their relatives during the COVID surge but they chose to continue with their service. Prime Minister asked the district officials to send their innovative ideas of tackling the pandemic to him so that the successful models can be replicated elsewhere in the country. He said that every part of the country has different sets of problems and therefore needs different solutions.
Mr. Modi appreciated the local field authorities for addressing the issues in an efficient manner. He lauded the efforts of rural India for their efficient management techniques. Terming the district officials as field commanders, Mr. Modi said they have ensured effective local containment strategies to mitigate the effect of the pandemic.
The Prime Minister said the work of field officers which include building confidence among the front line workers and also acting against hoarders of drugs and medical equipment is crucial in the fight against the pandemic. He also assured the district authorities of Centre’s unhindered support in terms of novel strategies to contain the infection. Mr. Modi said that the Centre has reiterated in its every meeting since last year that saving every single life is of high importance. He said amidst rising cases and challenges of health infrastructure in the rural parts, the district officials are entrusted with greater responsibility of reaching out to the people.
The Prime Minister emphasised that while strictly implementing the local containment guidelines , it should be ensured that people’s normal life and availability of essential commodities does not suffer. He asked for proper utilisation and monitoring of the oxygen supplies to the States and districts. He informed, the task of setting up of Oxygen plants is being actively completed in the districts using the funds allocated from PMCARES. He also called for setting up of district monitoring cells in this regard for effectively bridging the gap between the supply and usage. Mr. Modi said that the country has undertaken the largest vaccination drive in the world. He asserted that proper usage of the vaccines with minimal wastage will ensure effective and quick recovery of the nation from the pandemic.
The battle against COVID-19 across various States & Districts is being led at the cutting edge by field level officials. Many of them have shown great initiative and come out with imaginative solutions. Many effective measures have been taken – from ensuring that strict containment measures are undertaken to control the spread, to preparing the healthcare facilities for handling the raging second wave, to ensuing availability of healthcare workforce and a seamless supply chain for logistics, these districts in their relentless efforts to manage the situation also have success stories that could be replicated across the country.
Through the interaction with the Prime Minister, the officials shared some best practices, in addition to suggestions and recommendations for continuing the battle against COVID-19, especially in semi-urban and rural areas.
Union Home Minister and Health Minister along with Chief Ministers of States & Union Territories including Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Uttarakhand participated in the meeting. Officials from Karnataka, Bihar, Assam, Chandigarh, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, MP, Goa, Himachal Pradesh and Delhi took part in the meeting.
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