Generations will remember the manner in which human resilience prevailed over everything else, PM Modi said

"We are stronger and better when we are together," Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday, as he talked about how the challenge of the Covid-19 pandemic was being tackled.

Delivering a video address at the ‘Global Citizen Live’, he said, "We saw glimpses of this collective spirit when our COVID-19 warriors, doctors, nurses, medical staff gave their best in fighting the pandemic".

He added that this spirit was also visible in scientists and innovators, who created new vaccines in record time.

"Generations will remember the manner in which human resilience prevailed over everything else," PM Modi said, while addressing the 24-hour program held on Saturday and Sunday.

Live events were organized in major cities including Mumbai, New York, Paris, Rio De Janeiro, Sydney, Los Angeles, Lagos and Seoul.

Discussing the threat of climate change, Prime Minister Modi said India was the only G-20 nation that was on track with its Paris commitments.

India was also proud to have brought the world together under the banner of the International Solar Alliance and the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure, said PM Modi.

"The simplest and most successful way to mitigate climate change is to lead lifestyles that are in harmony with nature," he added.

Calling Mahatma Gandhi one of the “greatest environmentalists of the world,” PM Modi pointed out that he led a zero carbon footprints lifestyle.

During his address, PM Modi also said that poverty cannot be fought by making the poor more dependent on governments.

Pointing out that poverty can be fought when the poor start seeing governments as trusted partners, he said, “When power is used to empower the poor, they get the strength to fight poverty”.

He enumerated measures like banking the unbanked, providing social security coverage to millions, giving free and quality healthcare to 500 million Indians, as examples of empowering the poor.

Talking about 30 million houses built for the homeless in the cities and villages, Modi insisted that a house is not only about shelter. "A roof over the head gives people dignity," he said.

Along with this, a mass movement to provide drinking water connection to every household, spending over a trillion dollars for next-generation infrastructure, free food grains being provided to 800 millions of the citizensand several other efforts will give strength to the fight against poverty, the Prime Minister said.