As the Covid-19 pandemic is still wide-spread, we must remain alert and not let our guard down, President Ram Nath Kovind said on Tuesday. Addressing the nation on the eve of the 73rd Republic Day, Kovind said the precautions we have taken till now have to be continued.
“Wearing mask and maintaining social distancing have been essential parts of Covid-appropriate behaviour. In the fight against the Covid pandemic, it has now become a sacred national duty of every citizen to follow the precautions suggested by our scientists and experts,” the President said.
He said tackling the pandemic was bound to be more difficult in India due to high population density and limitation of resources in a developing economy, but people showed an "unmatched resolve" against the coronavirus.
“In the first year itself, we raised the healthcare infrastructure and also reached out to help others. By the second year, we had developed indigenous vaccines and launched the world’s biggest vaccination drive in history,” he said.
The President noted that India reached out to several countries with vaccine and other medical help during the pandemic and this contribution was appreciated by several international organizations.
Lauding the Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan, the President said the government has shown relentless focus on reforming every economic sector and providing a helping hand wherever necessary. The impressive economic performance is made possible due to improvement in the agriculture and manufacturing sectors, he said, adding that farmers, especially young farmers with small holdings, are enthusiastically adopting natural farming.
Kovind said the small and medium enterprises have played an important role in providing employment to people and imparting impetus to the economy. “Our innovative young entrepreneurs have set new benchmarks of success by making effective use of the start-up eco-system. It is a testimony to the success of our country's massive and robust digital payment platform that millions of digital transactions are being done every month,” he said.
