New Delhi (NVI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said that with the efforts of past few weeks, green shoots in the economy are visible, including the rise in power consumption, fertilizer sale in May this year, a healthy increase in Kharif sowing in comparison to last year, and increase in production of two-wheelers.
In a virtual interaction with the chief ministers and Lieutenant Governors of 21 states and UTs, the Prime Minister said that these signals of growth in the economy are encouraging the country to forge ahead amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
Watch PM @narendramodi‘s interaction with CMs on COVID-19… https://t.co/BPpKBGIAHh
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) June 16, 2020
He added that digital payment in retail reaching pre lockdown level, increase in toll collection in May, and bouncing back of exports are also among other positive changes noted.
Apart from that, PM Modi said that timely decisions taken to combat the pandemic have been effective in containing its spread in the country. “When we look back, people will remember that we have presented an example for cooperative federalism to the world,” he said.
“Today, India’s recovery rate is above 50%. India is among the top countries in the world which have been able to successfully save lives of corona patients,” he added.
The PM also underlined that all modes of transport are now open, lakhs of migrant labourers have travelled back to their villages, thousands of Indians have returned from abroad, and even though India has a huge population, coronavirus has not assumed as life threatening a form as in the rest of the world.
At the same time, he also forewarned that any laxity in the discipline will weaken the country’s fight against the virus.
The PM further stated that there is significant importance of agriculture, horticulture, fisheries and MSMEs in the participating States, provisions for which have been made under Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan.
Talking about the provisions to provide timely credit to MSMEs, he said that if quick disbursal of credit to industries is ensured through Bankers Committees, these industries will be able to start working quickly while also ensuring provision of employment opportunities.
“Smaller factories require guidance and hand-holding,” he said.
To give fillip to trade and industry, the PM mentioned the importance of working together on value chains. “Specific Economic Activity Points in the states should work 24 hours a day and loading and unloading should be quickened to give further boost to economic activity,” he said.
Apart from that, the Prime Minister mentioned the benefits set to accrue to farmers through reforms in the agriculture sector, including new avenues to sell produce, increase in income which in turn would increase demand in the economy.
“New opportunities for North-East and tribal regions in the areas of farming and horticulture are set to be created, with opening up of new markets for organic products, bamboo products and other tribal produce,” he said.
“The States will also benefit from a cluster based approach for local products,” he said, adding that such products should be identified at each block and district level for better processing and more effective marketing.
He emphasized on the need of working together to ensure that the announcements made under Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan fructify at the earliest.
In his interaction, the PM discussed the situation after two weeks in Unlock 1.0. This was the sixth such interaction of the Prime Minister with the Chief Ministers, the earlier ones had been held on 20th March, 2nd April, 11th April, 27th April, and 11th May.
The Prime Minister’s video interaction with the CMs also comes amid the further escalation in India China tensions over border row after an Indian Army Officer and two jawans were killed in a violent face-off with the Chinese troops in Galwan Valley in Ladakh last night.
PM Modi will also hold a separate interaction tomorrow with CMs from states such as Maharashtra, Delhi, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and others, which are showing a surge in corona cases and deaths.
Meanwhile, the Covid-19 infections in India have now reached to 3.43 lakh, including 9,900 deaths and 1.8 lakh recoveries. 10,667 fresh cases have been reported in the last 24 hours.
