- Tuesday, February 25, 2025
By: Shubham Ghosh
INDIAN prime minister Narendra Modi on Thursday (7) praised the country’s capacity to battle the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and recalled its journey from being an importer to an exporter in masks and kits.
Modi, who visited the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand on the day, said while addressing an event at AIIMS (All India Institute of Medical Sciences) Rishikesh, “The facilities that India has prepared in such a short time to fight against COVID-19 shows the capability of our country. A network of about 3,000 testing labs from just one testing lab has been created. It is a journey from being an importer to exporter of masks and kits.”
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He added, “We have facilities of new ventilators even in remote areas of the country. We have rapid and large-scale manufacturing of made in India COVID-19 vaccines. We are carrying out the world’s largest and fastest vaccination campaign. What India has done is a symbol of our determination, our service, our solidarity.”
Modi also spoke about completing 20 years in public office on the occasion.
“On this day, 20 years ago, I got a new responsibility to serve the public. My journey of serving the people, living among the people was going on for many decades ago, but 20 years ago today, I got a new responsibility to serve as the chief minister of Gujarat,” the prime minister said.
He also inaugurated during his visit 35 pressure swing adsorption oxygen plants established under the PM CARES fund across 35 states and union territories.
Modi was accompanied by Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and Indian health minister Mansukh Mandaviya who praised the prime minister saying he boosted health infrastructure across the nation.
Modi also extended his greetings on the occasion of Navaratri, saying, “The holy festival of Navratri is also starting from today. Maa Shailputri is worshipped on the first day today. Mother Shailputri is the daughter of Himalaya. And, on this day, I am here to bow down to this soil and saluting this land of Himalayas…what can be a greater blessing in life than this.”
Uttarakhand will go to elections early next year.
