New Delhi, Apr 12 (Bureau) Union Minister of State in Prime Minister Office Dr Jitendra Singh on Wednesday said, that India’s Covid success story is hailed world over and is seen as a role model in the crisis management. Delivering the inaugural address of the National Conference on “Disaster Resilient Methodologies on Pandemic” at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) here, Dr Jitendra Singh said that India’s Covid management was hugely successful under the able leadership of our Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “During the Covid pandemic, when the world thought that India would be the biggest Covid hotspot, we emerged stronger and within 2 years, came out with 2 vaccines and provided the same to more than 50 countries around the world” he added.
The Minister mentioned that Covid has not only taught us how to handle adversity but has generated unexplored interest in biotechnology among the youth. “Before 2014, there were only 50 biotech StartUps, but now there are almost 6,000. Also India’s bio-economy has grown 8 times in the last 8 years, from $10 billion in 2014 to over $80 billion in 2022” he said. Calling India’s strategy against Covid more effective than any other countries in the world, the Minister said due to the pandemic we got to know the loopholes as well as strengths of our system. He added that from the very onset of the pandemic, Prime Minister Modi used to personally monitor the Covid management twice a day.
The Minister said that India has deep and strong inherent potential… adding that Before Covid, the country was not known for preventive healthcare”. Citing the assistance provided by India during the 2015 Nepal earthquake or launching the SAARC satellite, he said that we are serving not only our community but also our neighbouring communities which is a practice very much rooted in our Indian ethos. The Minister said that during the first lockdown in that disastrous and chaotic situation, NGOs, government and corporates came together to tackle this situation.