New Delhi, Jul 20 (FN Bureau) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday apprised floor leaders of all the parties of both the houses on the public health response to the COVID-19 pandemic. PM thanked all the leaders for participating in the meeting and giving very practical inputs and suggestions and added that inputs from different parts of the country help immensely in policy design, the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs said in a statement. During the meeting, Modi said that the pandemic should not be a matter of politics as it is a matter of concern for the entire humanity. He added that mankind has not seen such a pandemic in the last 100 years.
PM also spoke about the efforts being made to ensure one oxygen plant in every district across the country. He also informed leaders about the rising speed of India’s vaccination program and how the first 10 crore doses took around 85 days while the last 10 crore doses have taken 24 days. The daily closing stocks show an average of more than 1.5 crore vaccines at the end of the day throughout the country, he added. Modi stressed the need to properly plan the vaccination drives at the district level based on the advanced availability indicated by the Central Government to ensure no inconvenience to the people. PM said that it is a matter of concern that a significant number of healthcare workers and frontline workers are yet to get the vaccine even after 6 months since the drive commenced & added that states need to be more proactive towards this.
Looking at the situation in various countries, he also spoke about the need to stay vigilant. PM added that mutations make this disease very unpredictable, and hence we all need to stay together and fight this disease. He underlined India’s unique experience of using technology in this pandemic in the form of the COWIN and Aarogya Setu app. Former prime minister HD Deve Gowda lauded Modi for his constant monitoring and working tirelessly through the pandemic. Leaders across parties also thanked the PM for his efforts through the pandemic. They also spoke about their own unique experiences with the disease. They highlighted the situation in various states and spoke about the vaccination drives in their respective states. The leaders further spoke about the need to constantly ensure Covid-appropriate behaviour. They unanimously appreciated the presentation given to them for its rich information and insights. In a detailed presentation, Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan informed that as of date, only eight states have more than 10,000 cases with the majority of the caseload recorded in the state of Maharashtra and Kerala. Just 5 states have a positivity rate of more than 10 per cent, he added.