While making any strategy, it is very important to keep in mind that there is least loss of livelihood of common people- PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a high-level meeting with the Chief Ministers of all the states on 13 January on the progress of the Corona epidemic and vaccination. Addressing the meeting, Prime Minister Modi said that India’s battle with the biggest pandemic in 100 years has now entered its third year. He said, “Hard work is our only way and victory is the only option. We, the 130 crore people of India, will surely emerge victorious from Corona with our efforts.
Prime Minister Modi stressed that while formulating any strategy, it is very important to keep in mind that there should be minimum loss of livelihood of common people, minimum impact on economic activities and the momentum of the economy is maintained. Therefore, it would be better to pay more attention to local containment. He stressed that we should be in a position to provide maximum treatment during home isolation and for this keep improving the home isolation guidelines. He said that these guidelines should be strictly followed. He said that the use of telemedicine facilities in the treatment would go a long way.
The Prime Minister said that the earlier skepticism about Omicron is now gradually getting cleared. The Omicron variant is infecting the general population many times faster than the earlier variants. He said, “We have to be alert, be careful, but we have to take care not to panic. We have to see that in this festive season, the alertness of the people and the administration does not fall short. The way the central and state governments have adopted a pre-emptive, pro-active and collective approach, the same is the mantra of victory this time as well. The more we can limit the corona infection, the less the problem will be.
Prime Minister Modi said that the only proven way to deal with the pandemic, including the new variant of Corona, is through vaccination. He said that vaccines made in India are proving their superiority all over the world. Shri Modi said that it is a matter of pride for every Indian that today about 92 percent of the adult population of India has been given the first dose of COVID vaccine. He said that the coverage of the second dose of vaccine has also reached around 70 percent in the country. The Prime Minister highlighted that within 10 days, India has also immunized about 30 million of its adolescents. The sooner the frontline workers and senior citizens are given a precautionary dose of the COVID vaccine, the more our health system’s capacity will increase. “We have to intensify the Har Ghar Dastak campaign for 100% vaccination,” he said. He also stressed the need to combat any misinformation about vaccines or wearing masks.
The Prime Minister lauded the states for utilizing the Rs 23,000 crore package provided by the Center to improve the health infrastructure. Under this, more than 800 Pediatric Units, 1.5 lakh new Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and HDU beds, more than 5 thousand specialized ambulances, more than 950 Liquid Medical Oxygen Storage Tank capacity have been added across the country. The Prime Minister also stressed the need to continue expanding the infrastructure. The Prime Minister said, “To defeat Corona, we need to keep our preparations before any form of epidemic comes. Along with tackling the Omicron variant, we need to start preparing for any future variant from now on.”
The Chief Ministers thanked the Prime Minister for his leadership during the successive waves of COVID-19. He especially thanked the Prime Minister for his support and guidance and the funds provided by the Central Government, which have been very helpful in promoting health care infrastructure in the states. The Chief Ministers talked about the preparedness to deal with the increasing cases of infected people through steps like increasing the number of beds, availability of oxygen etc. The Chief Minister of Karnataka informed about the rise in the number of infected in Bengaluru and the measures taken to prevent the spread of infection in the apartments. The Chief Minister of West Bengal discussed the possible increase in the number of infected in the state due to the upcoming festivals and the preparedness of the administration to deal with it. The Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu said that the state stands with the Center in the fight against this Covid-wave. The Chief Minister of Jharkhand talked about the misconceptions spread in some rural and tribal areas, which have caused some problems in the vaccination programme. The Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh informed about the various steps being taken to ensure ‘no one is left out’ in the vaccination campaign. The Punjab Chief Minister thanked the Prime Minister for the funding and infrastructure support, especially for meeting the oxygen requirements. The Assam Chief Minister said that steps like the precautionary dose have proved to be a great confidence booster. The Chief Minister of Manipur said that the State is making continuous efforts to increase the vaccination coverage.