NEW DELHI, July 20: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday interacted with floor leaders of all parties of both houses of Parliament to brief them on the trajectory of Covid-19 and the public health response to the pandemic.
In the meeting, he stressed that the pandemic should not be a matter of politics but is a matter of concern for entire humanity as such a situation has not been seen in the last 100 years.
He thanked all leaders for participating in the meeting and giving very practical inputs and suggestions, adding that inputs from different parts of the country help immensely in policy design.
The Prime Minister cited the efforts being made to ensure one oxygen plant in every district, and highlighted the rising speed of India’s vaccination programme, in which the first 10 crore doses took around 85 days while the last 10 crore doses were administered in 24 days.
Stressing the need to properly plan the vaccination drives at the district level, based on the advance availability indicated by the Central government to ensure no inconvenience to the people, he said that it is a matter of concern that a significant number of healthcare and frontline workers are yet to get the vaccine even after six months since the drive commenced. “States need to be more proactive towards this,” he said.
He also underlined the need to stay vigilant looking at the situation in various countries.
“Mutations make this disease very unpredictable, and hence we all need to stay together and fight this disease,” he said.
Former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda lauded the Prime Minister for his constant monitoring and working tirelessly through the pandemic.
It is learnt that leaders of various parties thanked the Prime Minister for his efforts through the pandemic. Leaders also spoke about their own experiences with the disease.
Opposition leaders also highlighted the situation and the status of the vaccination drive in their respective states, and the need to constantly ensure Covid appropriate behaviour.
A detailed presentation was given by Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan, and was appreciated by various leaders for its rich information and insights.
Opposition leaders were informed that throughout the pandemic, the Prime Minister held 20 meetings with Chief Ministers while the Union Health Minister held 29 meeting with states.
