Modi, Naidu, Shah urge Governors to create mass movement against pandemic

In a first meeting of its kind, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and health minister Harshvardhan interacted with Governors, including Bihar governor Phagu Chouhan, on the Covid-19 pandemic situation on Wednesday and the need to involve all in the crucial fight against the surging virus

In a first meeting of its kind, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and health minister Harshvardhan interacted with Governors, including Bihar governor Phagu Chouhan, on the Covid-19 pandemic situation on Wednesday and the need to involve all in the crucial fight against the surging virus.

HT Image

The PM and the Vice President underlined the need for Governors to take initiatives at their level to increase people participation to create a mass movement against the pandemic. They urged the Governors to include universities under them as well as Red Cross and other voluntary organisations for the purpose, said an official of the Raj Bhawan.

During the presentation, the Governors were informed how India, with 11.11-crore vaccinations, is ranked first in vaccinating its people. The Governors were told to also involve spiritual leaders in creating the mass movement. The virtual meeting last two hours from 6.30 pm to 8.30 pm.

Bihar governor Phagu Chouhan later told his principal secretary Rober L CHongthu to make preparations for the April 17 all-party meeting. “All the suggestions and feedbacks received at the meeting will be worked upon, while the state government is already taking necessary steps to contain pandemic,” the official quoting Governor said.

The Governor is also likely to interact with vice chancellors soon to involve the universities in creating awareness about vaccination and Covid-appropriate behaviour in their respective jurisdictions to contain the surge in Covid-19 cases in the last couple of weeks in Bihar, especially since Holi.

Last week, chief minister Nitish Kumar had said that the government would soon contact the Governor to request him to call an all-party meeting, as suggest by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during an interaction with chief ministers.

During an interaction with chief ministers on March 8, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had asked the CMs to make the ‘maximum use’ of the office of the Governor to put up a united fight against the pandemic. It was in this backdrop that Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu and the PM interacted with the Governors.

Soon after the outbreak of pandemic last year, President Ram Nath Kovind had interacted with the Governors in March 2020 and urged them to take initiatives for mobilizing non-government organisations.