Beating Covid, lifting economy our two main goals: Modi

you are putting others at risk besides yourselves, especially the elderly and children at home...,” he told the countrymen at a time when the country is witnessing a steady rise in infections. India recorded 19,541 fresh cases on Sunday, taking the country’s tally to 549,026 cases. The infection has killed 16,481 people in the country.

After 68 days of lockdown since March 25, India entered the “Unlock 1” phase in June, allowing the resumption of shopping malls, dine-in restaurants and religious places. Before that, the government allowed the gradual reopening of shops, and partial passenger railway services and domestic air travel. A call is expected on the reopening of educational institutes in July in the second phase. And in the third phase, the government will decide on resuming international air travel, cinema halls, gyms, swimming pools, bars, and auditoriums, among others.

While releasing the guidelines for “Unlock 1” in May-end, the government said the plan will have an “economic focus” as it looked to bring stalled businesses back on track and bolster the third largest economy in Asia, which is in the grip of a slowdown due to the impact of Covid-19 and the lockdown prompted by the pandemic.

“...during this unlock phase, many other things are getting unlocked, which had hitherto, shackled the country for decades,” Modi said, referring to the reform measures his government has okayed in the fields of agriculture, space, mining, and other sectors.

Not just the pandemic, he said, the country has had to face several other challenges in recent times. “A few days ago, our east coast had to face the fury of cyclone Amphan; on the west coast, it was cyclone Nisarga. In many states, farmers had to bear the brunt of swarming locusts... many parts of the country have been witnessing intermittent earthquakes,” Modi said.

But he stressed that India transformed adversities into stepping stones to success in the past. “...For centuries, myriad tyrants invaded India, pushing her to the edge of such an abyss of adversities that people once used to feel that the very idea, the fabric of Bharat would be wiped out: her culture would be annihilated. But India overcame the scourge, and more gloriously so,” Modi said.