Covid Crisis Not Over, We Never Know When It Will Resurface: PM Modi

Ahmedabad: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said the coronavirus has not gone away and keeps resurfacing, and cautioned people not to let their guard down in the battle against the pandemic. Nobody knows when the ‘bahurupiya’ (one that changes form) COVID-19 will resurface, PM Modi said, adding that administering nearly 185 crore doses of vaccines to control its spread was made possible due to public support.

Also Read: Symptoms Of New COVID Variant XE: 10 Things To Know

He was addressing via video conferencing the Mahapatotsav programme of Maa Umiya Dham at Vanthali in Gujarat’s Junagadh district, as part of the 14th foundation day celebration of the temple of Maa Umiya, considered as the deity of Kadva Patidar community.

The PM urged devotees of Maa Umiya to turn to natural farming with the aim to save Mother Earth from the scourge of chemical fertilisers.

He also asked people to a pledge to participate in creating 75 ‘Amrit Sarovars’ (lakes) in each district as part of the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, being organised to mark 75 years of India’s Independence.

Corona (COVID-19 pandemic) was a big crisis, and we are not saying that the crisis is over. It may have taken a pause, but we never know when it will resurface. It is a ‘bahurupiya’ disease. To stop this, nearly 185 crore doses (of vaccines) were administered, which surprised the world. This has been made possible due to your support, he said.

The PM also said the devotees of Maa Umiya should undertake a project to take care of the health of malnourished children and anemic mothers at the village level.

The ‘Maa Umiya Trust,’ which manages the temple, should organise competitions at the village level promoting good health of children, he said.

The devotees of Maa Umiya should ensure no child suffers from malnutrition, irrespective of which community he/she belongs to. If a child is strong, then the community and the country will become strong, he said.

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The prime minister also said the awareness against female foeticide has resulted in the country’s daughters showing their might in the Olympics. “Who will not take pride in our daughters?” he added.

PM Modi also requested people to support the government’s campaign to save Mother Earth through adoption of natural farming, and continue the work to conserve water.

We will have to save Mother Earth…We have got a governor (of Gujarat-Acharya Devvrat) who is totally committed to natural farming. He has addressed farmer meetings at the taluka level, and lakhs of farmers have turned to natural farming, he said.

People should support Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel by responding to his call for the same, he said.

PM Modi also asked people to undertake water conservation by creating 75 ‘Amrit Sarovars’ in each district by digging, deepening, and renovating the existing water bodies.

Let us undertake the project of 75 lakes in each district…It’s not a big deal for you all who have made lakhs of check dams. Imagine how big a service this will be, he said.

The PM said people who have faced severe water crisis should not give up the practice of water conservation, regardless of the success achieved in this field.

This is something that needs to be undertaken every year before monsoon by deepening of lakes and cleaning of water channels to conserve water, he said.

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(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

NDTV – Dettol have been working towards a clean and healthy India since 2014 via Banega Swachh India initiative, which is helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan. The campaign aims to highlight the inter-dependency of humans and the environment, and of humans on one another with the focus on One Health, One Planet, One Future – Leaving No One Behind. It stresses on the need to take care of, and consider, everyone’s health in India – especially vulnerable communities – the LGBTQ population, indigenous people, India’s different tribes, ethnic and linguistic minorities, people with disabilities, migrants, geographically remote populations, gender and sexual minorities. In wake of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign will continue to raise awareness on the same along with focussing on the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children, fight malnutrition, mental wellbeing, self care, science and health, adolescent health & gender awareness. Along with the health of people, the campaign has realised the need to also take care of the health of the eco-system. Our environment is fragile due to human activity,  that is not only over-exploiting available resources, but also generating immense pollution as a result of using and extracting those resources. The imbalance has also led to immense biodiversity loss that has caused one of the biggest threats to human survival – climate change. It has now been described as a “code red for humanity.” The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene. Banega Swasth India will also be taking forward the dream of Swasth Bharat, the campaign feels that only a Swachh or clean India where toilets are used and open defecation free (ODF) status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and the country can become a Swasth or healthy India.