India tackled Covid pandemic effectively despite all odds: PM at WEF’s Davos dialogue

at 7:02 pm
Finance Bill
Prime Minister Narendra Modi (File photo)

New Delhi (NVI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said that India tackled the Covid-19 pandemic in an effective manner, despite predictions that it will be the most affected country in the world with over 2 million deaths.

While addressing the World Economic Forum’s online Davos Agenda Summit via video conference, PM Modi said that despite dire predictions by experts, India managed to fight the pandemic by taking a proactive public participation approach, developing a COVID-specific health infrastructure and training its resources.

“When COVID arrived, India had its share of problems. At the beginning of last year, several experts and organizations had made several predictions that India would be most affected by the pandemic.

“Someone had even said that 700-800 million would be infected and someone had said that over 2 million Indians would die from the pandemic. Looking at the condition of countries with better health infrastructure, the world was right in worrying about us.

“India, however, took a proactive public participation approach and developed a COVID-specific health infrastructure and trained its resources to fight COVID. We also used technology for testing and tracking,” PM said in his address.

The Prime Minister said that India has developed two coronavirus vaccines so far which have been exported to over 150 countries and the world would see many more Made in India vaccines in the coming days.

The PM further said that 18% of world’s population is in India, “a country that saved mankind from a big disaster by saving its citizens from the pandemic.”

“We’re not only fulfilling our needs of PPE kits and masks, but also exporting and helping other countries. India has started the world’s largest vaccination drive as well,” he said.

Giving details in India’s vaccination drive, Modi said that India has vaccinated over 2 million health workers. “In the next few months, we would complete our target of vaccinating 300 million old people and people with co-morbidities,” he said.

“We have vaccinated over 2 million health workers in just 12 days, fastest in the world,” he added.

-ARK