NEW DELHI: "The Centre, States should work as team to combat COVID." This was tweeted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi after the all-party meeting on the current situation of the pandemic in the country here on Tuesday.
In the meeting, PM Modi, while giving a short speech at the end, mentioned that India is dealing with COVID carefully and its position with respect to COVID is better than the rest of the world.
The PM further said that the pandemic should not be a matter of politics as it is a matter of concern for the entire humanity. He added that mankind hasn't seen such a pandemic in the last 100 years.
Apart from PM Modi, Leader of the House in Rajya Sabha Piyush Goyal, Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Mansukh Mandaviya were also present in the meeting. In a discussion with reporters before the start of the monsoon session of Parliament, the Prime Minister had said that this session should be dedicated to a meaningful discussion on all issues including COVID-19 as the public wants answers on many issues.
In this meeting, a PowerPoint presentation was given by the officials of the Ministry of Health.
Meanwhile, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya defended the government on Tuesday while replying in the Rajya Sabha during a discussion on COVID-19, stating that the nation has been tackling the pandemic and also helping the world in this respect, and it is prepared for a possible third wave of COVID-19.
Stating that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that there should be no politics over handling of the pandemic, Mandaviya said: "There is a need to work together as the implementation part has to be done by the States. I don't want to do politics, but many states have 10-15 lakh doses of vaccine with them. I have data."
He said the country did not have any laboratory to test COVID-19 at the onset of the pandemic last year, nor did it have the capacity to manufacture PPE kits.
Pointing out that the months-long lockdown was imposed last year to build infrastructure and ramp up manufacturing capacity, Mandaviya said, "We not only built the entire infrastructure, but when the world needed medicines like Hydroxychloroquine etc., we sent them to over 123 countries."
The Union Health Minister stated that the nation has been tackling the pandemic and also helping the world in this respect, and it is prepared for a possible third wave of COVID-19.
Stating that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that there should be no politics over handling of the pandemic, Mandaviya said: "There is a need to work together as the implementation part has to be done by the states. I don't want to do politics, but many states have 10-15 lakh doses of vaccine with them. I have data."
He said the country did not have any laboratory to test COVID-19 at the onset of the pandemic last year, nor did it have the capacity to manufacture PPE kits.
Pointing out that the months-long lockdown was imposed last year to build infrastructure and ramp up manufacturing capacity, Mandaviya said, "We not only built the entire infrastructure, but when the world needed medicines like Hydroxychloroquine etc., we sent them to over 123 countries."
The discussion in the Rajya Sabha was initiated by the Leader of Opposition, Mallikarjun Kharge, who accused the government of hiding data on COVID deaths. (Agencies)
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