The Prime Minister maintains that the distress the country's workforce is undergoing is representative of the one being faced by the eastern region of our country

Addressing the nation through AIR’s ‘Mann Ki Baat’ programme on Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged people to be more careful about the COVID pandemic.

He said though railways has started its services by running Shramik and Special trains and operationalization of domestic flight services by airlines and running of industry to normalcy too but there should not be any laxity in taking precautionary measures. People will have to maintain 'Do Gaj Ki Doori', wear face masks and stay at home to the extent possible.

He stressed that after so many hardships, the country’s deft handling of the situation should not go in vain. The Prime Minister said fight against corona is a reflection of resilience and collective efforts of the people.

He pointed out how the country faced unique challenges with a vast population, and yet Corona did not spread as fast as in the other parts of the world. He noted that the mortality rate of Corona is a lot less in the country.

The Prime Minister hailed the spirit of service shown by the people and called it the biggest strength. He said, “ Sewa Paramo Dharmah” - service is a joy in itself - is a way of life in India.

He cited the examples of KC Mohan of Tamil Nadu, Gautam Das of Agartala, Raju a Divyang from Pathankot, who went out of their way despite limited means to help others in this time of crisis.

Prime Minister Modi added that numerous stories of perseverance of women's self-help groups are coming to the fore from all corners of the country.

The Prime Minister shared how the instances of innovation at this moment of crisis have touched his heart. He gave the example of Rajendra Yadav of Nasik who devised a sanitization machine attached to his tractor.

Many shopkeepers have installed big pipe lines in their shops to adhere to the 'Do Gaj Ki Doori'. He also stated how the work being done in the country's labs on Corona vaccine is being keenly observed by the world.

Sharing his pain at the sufferings and hardships of people due the pandemic, the Prime Minister said, Corona virus has afflicted all sections of society but the underprivileged labourers and workers have been the most affected.

He said, the entire country understands and feels what they are going through and everyone from the centre, states, to local governance bodies are toiling round the clock. He praised the people who are relentlessly engaged in safely transporting lakhs of labourers in trains and buses, caring for their food, and arranging for their quarantine in every district.

Prime Minister Modi emphasized that the current scenario is an eye opener as well as an opportunity for scrutiny and lessons for the future.

He said the distress that the country's workforce is undergoing is representative of the one being faced by the eastern region of our country.

The Prime Minister emphasized the need to develop the eastern region which has the capacity to be the country’s growth engine. He added that the development of the eastern region can lead to a balanced economic development of the country. He said in the last few years, much has been done in this direction.

The Prime Minister said the need of the hour is devising a new solution. He said, government has taken several steps in this direction. He added that recent decisions taken by the Centre have opened up vast possibilities of village employment, self-employment and small scale industry.

He expressed confidence the ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ campaign will take the country to greater heights in this decade.

Mr Modi stated that the number of beneficiaries of ‘Ayushman Bharat’ scheme has crossed over one crore. He said, if the poor had to pay for the treatment, more than 14 thousand crore rupees would have been required to be paid out of their own pockets.

The 'Ayushman Bharat' scheme has saved spending this huge amount of money belonging to the poor. He congratulated not only the beneficiaries of 'Ayushman Bharat' but also all the doctors, nurses and medical staff who treated patients under this scheme. 80 percent of the one crore beneficiaries hail from the rural areas of the nation, and about 50 percent of these beneficiaries are mothers and sisters and daughters.

The Prime Minister said, during the present Corona pandemic, people are paying serious attention to 'Yoga'. People everywhere want to know more about 'Yoga' and along with it 'Ayurveda' and adopt it as a way of life. He said that during the present Corona pandemic, Yoga has become all the more important, because this virus affects the respiratory system. In yoga, there are many types of Pranayama that strengthen the respiratory system and the beneficial effects have been witnessed for long.

Modi urged people to share their videos for the International Video Blog competition 'My Life, My Yoga', organized by the Ministry of Ayush. People from all over the world can participate in this competition by making a three-minute video and uploading it. In this video, people have to show themselves performing Yoga, or Asana, and also talk about the changes that have taken place in their life due to yoga. Prime Minister Modi requested everyone to participate in this competition, and be a part of the upcoming International Yoga Day.

The Prime Minister lauded the courage and bravery with which the people of West Bengal and Odisha during the cyclone Amphan. He said the ordeal they faced and the manner in which they showed their grit and determination is commendable. Modi said many parts of the country have been affected by locust attacks. He said efforts are on and from center to state governments, agriculture department or administration, everybody is involved using modern techniques to help the farmers and reduce crop loss due to this crisis.

The Prime Minister said, the entire world will celebrate ‘World Environment Day' on the 5th of June. The theme for this year's 'World Environment Day' is biodiversity. He said that during Lockdown in the last few weeks, the pace of life may have slowed down a bit but it has also given the opportunity to introspect upon the rich diversity of nature or biodiversity. He said people must derive inspiration from this to live life in harmony with nature.

Modi said people have the responsibility to save water as well. He stressed on the need to save Rain water and said everyone must strive for water conservation. He also requested countrymen to serve nature this 'Environment Day' by planting some trees and making resolutions in order to forge a daily relationship with nature.