Corona has made us realise importance of self-reliance: PM

New Delhi, Apr 24: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said the Coronavirus crisis has taught India the need to be self-reliant to tackle such challenges.
In an interaction with village panchayat chiefs, through video conferencing, the PM said, “The Coronavirus Pandemic has made us realise that becoming self-reliant is the key requirement to tackle such challenges. Coronavirus crisis has set so many challenges for us.”
It has given us a lot to think about and taught about the way we act. It has made it absolutely clear that we have to depend only on ourselves for our survival. The coronavirus crisis has taught India to be self-sufficient and not depend on others for anything we need in our daily lives.’
Addressing the village Panchayat chiefs on the occasion of Panchayati Raj Day, the Prime Minister, who wore a scarf as a face mask during the video conferencing, also praised villages for handling the crisis better than cities.
“Villages have shown that our traditions, culture and learnings are from the ground level upwards and not the other way around. Villages have handled the crisis better than cities. They are handling social distancing better with more discipline. There is much to learn from you all,” he said.
Noting that the Gram Panchayats play a pivotal role in making country self -reliant, the PM said, ‘Developed and self-reliant villages are key for a developed nation. Government ‘s initiative of allowing the manufacture of mobile phones in the country has empowered villages and brought them with the digital mainstream.’
The PM said that India has shown to the World that it is fighting the pandemic with full determination to win.
‘Despite odds and impediments, we have shown the world that we are fighting against COVID19 with full determination to win, without giving up,’ he said.
‘We have also witnessed the resilience of the Indians in the last 2-3 months during the crisis. Despite odds and impediments, we have shown to the world that we are fighting it with full determination to win, without giving up,’ Mr Modi said.
On the occasion, the PM inaugurated e-GramSwaraj portal and a mobile application.
Terming E-Gram Swaraj as a step towards making complete digitalisation of Gram Panchayats, the PM said, ‘E-Gram Swaraj is a step towards complete digitalisation of Gram Panchayats. All development related works and fund allocated for them in Panchayats can be seen on this portal. This will ensure transparency in development-related works.’
Referring to the NDA government initiatives to make available broadband connections in villages, the PM said, ‘Just 6 years back, only 100 Panchayats had broadband connectivity. Today, 1.25 lakh Panchayats are connected with broadband. Number of CSCs has crossed 3 lakh. SWAMITVA yojana is a big step towards full digitisation of all villages.’