No daily health briefings as govt shifts focus to economic revival

NEW DELHI: The Centre has decided to suspend the daily health ministry briefings on Covid-19 till Sunday and issue health bulletins instead, a government official said on Tuesday, signalling that the change was being made as part of a renewed effort to put the focus back on economic revival and self-reliance.

In his address on Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a ~20 lakhcrore financial package, underscored the need for the country to be self-reliant and asked people to ensure that our lives do not revolve around the coronavirus disease, as they have been for the last 50-odd days.

The decision to suspend the health ministry briefing and replace it with a ministry bulletin is linked to this effort.

A government official said there had been a view that the focus should instead turn to resumption of economic activity, self-reliance and the financial package that would help the country achieve this objective.

There would be briefings but the focus would be on the Prime Minister’s self reliant campaign, financial package and the many achievements of India’s science and technology sector.

PM Modi had not spelt out the details of the financial package but left it to finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman to make the announcement over the next few days.

But the Prime Minister, who launched a Make in India campaign, did speak extensively on making India selfreliant and asked people to go for products that are made in India.

A PMO brief issued on his 33-minute address to the nation quoted PM mentioning “self-reliant” and “self-reliance” no less than 10 times.

The Prime Minister stressed that self-reliance will prepare the country for tough competition in the global supply chain.