Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday warned people in the country against being overconfident just because Covid-19 has not reached their doorsteps yet saying when the guard is lowered the pandemic can spread beyond control.
"To my countrymen, I urge, let us not at all get caught in the trap of over-confidence, let us not harbour a feeling that if corona has not yet reached our city, our village, our street or our office, it is not going to reach now. See! Never make such a mistake! The experience of the world is narrating a lot to us! And, here in our country we are always reminded again and again - 'Where caution has been lowered, the accident has happened', the Prime Minister said in his monthly Mann ki Baat programme.
Greeting people on the occasion of 'Akshay Tritiya', Modi said: "The day reminds us that our soul, our life-force, is 'Akshay'. This day reminds us that no matter how many difficulties block our path, no matter how many disasters are wreaked upon us and no matter how many contagions have to be faced - the human spirit of fighting and battling them are inexhaustible." He also greeted the followers of Jainism and Lord Basaveshwara as this was an auspicious day for both the communities.
Modi also used the occasion to remember the farmers in the country who work hard in adverse conditions to create vast reserves of food grains for feeding the rich and the poor alike. “Our farmer brothers and sisters – on the one hand , they are toiling day and night amidst the scourge of the pandemic; on the other displaying due concern to ensure that none in the country goes to bed hungry," he said.
According to Modi, India's fight against coronavirus is people-driven, with the government and administration ably supporting them. Every person in this country is a solider in the battle against COVID-19, putting up a fight in as per one's capacity and ability. From food for the underprivileged, arranging rations, ensuring lockdown, arrangements in hospitals to manufacturing medical equipments indigenously…the entire country is marching ahead together in the same direction, towards a single common objective, the Prime Minister observed.
According to him, the country is already experiencing the results of the country working in union as a team. While Central government, State governments and every departments and institutions are working in hand in hand to make sure relief reaches everyone in the country, those working in aviation sector and railways are toiling day and night to ensure the supply of essential goods and medicines reach the farthest corners of the country.
"Every adverse situation, every battle leaves in its wake a worthwhile lesson or two; a moral. It paves the way for further possibilities, shaping the course for newer goals. The strength of the resolve the countrymen have displayed during the crisis has led to the beginning of a new transformation too in India. Our businesses, offices, educational institutions, our medical sector are rapidly advancing towards new operational changes. On the technology front, it actually seems every innovator in the country is coming up anew with something or the other amid emerging situations," Modi said.