NEW DELHI: In his first public comment after the second wave of Covid-19 wreaked havoc, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday sent out a message of hope while warning farmers to stay on guard as the pandemic is fast advancing into rural India.
“This pandemic is spreading fast in rural villages.... Awareness about this among rural people and cooperation of panchayat raj institutions are equally important,” he said. A recent report by SBI’s Ecowrap said the share of rural districts in new cases increased to 48.5% in May as compared to 36.8% in March.
However, Modi added, “India is not a nation that loses hope in tough times.
This challenge will be overcome with strength and dedication,” while interacting with farmers to mark the transfer of the eighth installment of the PM-Kisan Nidhi scheme. Modi’s optimism came at a time when the Centre and the states are sparring over the availability of vaccines, high fatalities and lack of medical support to the affected people.
While he refrained from fixing accountability for the lapses that led to the explosive second wave, he claimed the world is facing an invisible enemy and “every government department is working day and night to ease the pain of the nation.”