E-Paper
Ensure nobody is left out of vaccine’s ‘circle of safety’: PM Modi
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday urged people to keep following the Covid-19 protocol and ensure that no one is left out of vaccination’s “circle of safety” ahead of the festive season
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday urged people to keep following the Covid-19 protocol and ensure that no one is left out of vaccination’s “circle of safety” ahead of the festive season.
“Team India is making new records everyday in this fight. With regards to vaccination, the country has made many such records which are being talked about the world over... We have to get the vaccine administered when our turn comes, but we also have to take care that no one is left out of this circle of safety,” the Prime Minister said in his monthly Mann Ki Baat address. “Those around you who have not got vaccinated also have to be taken to the vaccine centre. Even after getting vaccinated, the necessary protocol has to be followed.”
India has administered 858.6 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines, according the government’s Co-Win dashboard. A record 25 million people received jabs on September 17, Modi’s birthday, according to a government statement.
Paying tributes to Mahatma Gandhi, Deen Dayal Uppadhay and Lal Bahadur Shastri, Modi said, “I don’t ever let go any chance to speak in connection with cleanliness and... in this Amrit Mahotsav of freedom, we should take the resolve of economic cleanliness too.”
The Prime Minister said that over 3.5 billion digital transactions were done in August through the United Payment Interface (UPI).
He said money of the poor is getting credited directly into their bank accounts, and because of this, obstacles like corruption have reduced significantly. “It is true that technology can help a lot in economic cleanliness. It is matter of delight for us that even in villages, the common person is getting connected in the direction of digital transactions through fin-tech UPI... During last August, around 355 crore (3.55 billion) UPI transactions took place in one month, that is over 350 crore (3.5 billion) transactions. Today, on an average, digital payments of more than ₹2 lakh crore are happening through UPI. Through this the economy of the country is acquiring cleanliness and transparency.”
On the occasion of the World Rivers Day, Modi called for collective efforts to keep India’s rivers free of pollution. He said that all the proceeds from the e-auction of the birthday gifts he received will be donated to the Namami Gange Mission, a part of the National Mission for Clean Ganga programme.
“The Namami Gange Mission too is making advances today... a mass movement has a major role to play in that,” he said. “This electronic auction pertains to gifts presented to me by people from time to time. The money that accrues through this e-auction is dedicated solely to the Namami Gange Campaign. The affectionate, warm spirit, with which you present me gifts …that very sentiment gets bolstered through this campaign.”
Modi also highlighted “interesting initiatives” by the ministry of Ayush to increase awareness about “medicinal and herbal plants among children like Aloe Vera, Tulsi, Amla, Giloy, Neem, Ashwagandha and Brahmi ”. He urged “scientists, researchers and people associated with the start-up world to pay attention to such products, which not only increase the wellness and immunity of the people, but also help in increasing the income of our farmers and youth”.
