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Identify issues promptly at local level, says PM Modi at ministers' meet on Covid-19
Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged the ministers to help people of their respective regions and keep getting their feedback, according to the ministry of information and broadcasting.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday chaired the meeting of the council of ministers to discuss the situation arising out of the second wave of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic. The ministry of information and broadcasting said that Niti Aayog member (health) Dr VK Paul made a presentation on the management of the Covid-19 pandemic.
During the virtual meeting via video conference, PM Modi urged the ministers to help people of their respective regions and keep getting their feedback, according to the I&B ministry. He also stressed the need to ensure that issues at the local level are promptly identified and addressed.
“The Council of Ministers meeting noted that the present pandemic crisis is ‘once in a century crisis’ and has thrown a big challenge for the world,” the ministry said in a statement.
India is witnessing an unprecedented health crisis amid a continued rise in Covid-19 cases and deaths. The ministry of health and family welfare on Friday morning announced that India recorded 3,86,452 new cases of Covid-19 and 3,498 related deaths in the last 24 hours. The official data suggests that Maharashtra witnessed the maximum daily casualties with 771 deaths, followed by Delhi with 395 deaths.
The huge spike in Covid-19 cases has overwhelmed health care infrastructure and shortage of oxygen and other medical supplies have been reported from multiple states. Meanwhile, the first consignment of Covid-19 assistance from the United States, which includes 440 oxygen cylinders and regulators and 960,000 rapid diagnostic tests, arrived in India on Friday.
The I&B ministry said that the efforts by the Central government in coordination with the states to overcome the infrastructure challenges were briefed during the meeting. The council also reviewed the efforts made in the last 14 months by the Central and state governments and the people of India, the ministry added.
