NEW DELHI: Amidst ongoing vaccination drive and relief in restrictions, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday expressed deep concern over violations of Covid norms.
In the first meeting of the new council of ministers aft-er reshuffle, the PM said, “Over the past few days, we all have been seeing pictures and videos of crowded places and people roaming about without masks or social distancing. This is not a pleasant sight and it should instil a sense of fear in us.”
The Prime Minister’s concern was about reports coming from various places, mainly tourist destinations, where streets are seen as crowded.
The PM stressed that powered by “our Covid warriors and front-line workers, India’s fight against the global pandemic is underway with full vigour”. “We are steadily vaccinating substantial numbers of our nation’s population. Testing is also consistently high,” he said.
He added that there should be no space for carelessness or complacency. “A single mistake would have far-reaching impact and weaken the fight to overcome Covid-19,” he added.
The PM said with the numbers being less than what they were in the recent months, people may want to venture out. “However, everyone must remember—the threat of Covid-19 is far from over. Many other nations are seeing surges in infections. The virus is also mutating,” Modi said.
He said, “As ministers, our aim should not be to instil fear but to request people to keep taking all possible precautions so that we are able to move beyond this pandemic in the times to come.”
He also expressed concern at the persistently high number of cases coming from Maharashtra and Kerala.
Sources said the ministers have been asked to focus on work and avoid giving bites to TV channels on diverse issues or trying to catch media attention. “They must be regular in office and reach by 9.30 am. The PM had given similar advisory during his first tenure,” a source said.
It was learnt that the new railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has directed that all staff of the minister’s cell will work in two shifts from 7 am to midnight. A circular issued on Thursday said the staff will be on duty in two shifts — 7 am to 4 pm and 3 pm to midnight.
Sources said the new railway directive for officers in MR cell means, “Miles to Go before we sleep..!” So much is to be done and every minute counts for the railways on a mission mode, sources said.
source- TOI
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