EAM Jaishankar lauds India's effort against COVID-19, calls PM Modi a great motivator

The Indian government has dealt with the challenges posed by COVID-19 pandemic in many different ways said the External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar on Friday. The government made the battle against Coronavirus pandemic a people's movement by involving and motivating them, he added. EAM Jaishankar at an event hosted by Asia Society said that there are many countries where people look at COVID-19 like a government's challenge. 

Jaishankar said, "In many countries, people look at it like a public health response or a governance challenge. We have actually dealt with it in many ways like a people's movement, that you actually get people involved and motivate them."

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EAM Jaishankar lauds India's efforts against COVID-19

Jaishankar said, "When it came initially, we did all the right things, we stopped international travel much before most countries did, and we had our lockdown much before most countries did. When the pandemic hit India, there was not a single producer of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), there were about two producers of masks, and there were no producers of ventilators."

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Jaishankar while speaking to Asia Society Policy Institute (ASPI) President Kevin Rudd said that the Indian government has done many right things such as imposing a nationwide lockdown and stopping international travel. He highlighted that when Coronavirus had hit the country, there was not even a single producer of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and ventilators and there were only two mask producers in the country. But now, there are over 100 major producers of PPE in the country, he added.

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Currently, more than 25 companies are manufacturing ventilators and over 10 big companies for N95 mask manufacturing, Jaishankar said. Further, he said that during the initial days India was looking for necessary equipment and in today's date it is supplying a lot of equipment to different countries in the world. Jaishankar called Prime Minister Narendra Modi a great motivator due to his efforts to fight COVID-19. Over 15,000 centres dedicated to COVID-19 treatment have been set up in India by converting hospitals and other public buildings, he added. 

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(With ANI inputs)