Defeating Covid & building new India 2022’s agenda: PM
Lauds IAF’s Varun Singh as ‘inspiration’
In his last “Mann ki Baat” of the year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said we “have to enter 2022 with the responsibility of defeating Covid-19” and that the coming year “will be the golden page of building a new India”. Mr Modi also paid rich tributes to Group Capt. Varun Singh of the Indian Air Force, who had succumbed to his injuries sustained during the helicopter crash near Coonoor, Tamil Nadu, recently, in which Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Bipin Rawat and his wife were among those killed.
The PM said due to the people’s collective and everyone’s efforts, India could fight the biggest pandemic in 100 years. “We stood by each other like a family in every difficult moment. To help someone in one’s locality or city... everyone tried to do more than what one could have done,” the PM said.
He lauded the success of the anti-Covid vaccination programme, saying: “If we compare the vaccination figures of the world today with those of India, it feels that the country has handled such an unprecedented task... how big a goal has been achieved.
Crossing the 140 million vaccine dose mark is an achievement of each and every Indian. This shows the trust of every Indian in the system; shows trust in science and in scientists; and is also a testament to the willpower of we Indians who are fulfilling our responsibilities towards society. But friends, we also have to keep in mind that a new variant of corona has already knocked at the door. Our experience of the last two years is that our own effort as a citizen is very important to defeat this global pandemic.”
The PM added scientists were continuously studying the new Omicron variant. “They are getting new data every day (and) their suggestions are being worked upon. In such a situation, self-awareness, self-discipline is in itself
the country’s strength in fighting against this variant of corona. It is this very collective strength of ours that will defeat corona; with this very sense of responsibility, we have to enter into 2022,” the PM said.
Talking about Gp Capt Varun Singh, Mr Modi said he was a motivation for the youth. “When Varun was in the hospital, I saw something on the social media that touched my heart. He was given the Shaurya Chakra in August just this year. After this honor, he had written a letter to the principal of his school. After reading this letter, the first thought that came to my mind was that even after reaching the pinnacle of success, he did not forget to nurture his roots. Second… that when he had time to celebrate, he showed concern for the generations to come. He wanted that the lives of students of the school that he studied in should also be a celebration. In his letter, Varun Singh ji did not boast of his valour; instead, he referred to his failures. He talked about how he converted his shortcomings into abilities. At one place in this letter, he has written: ‘It is ok to be mediocre. Not everyone will excel at school and not everyone will be able to score in the 90s. If you do, it is an amazing achievement and must be applauded. However, if you don’t, do not think that you are meant to be mediocre. You may be mediocre in school but it is by no means a measure of things to come in life. Find your calling -- it could be art, music, graphic design, literature, etc. Whatever you work towards, be dedicated, do your best. Never go to bed, thinking, I could have put-in more efforts’.
“In this letter, Varun Singh has written – ‘Never lose hope. Never think that you cannot be good at what you want to be. It will not come easy, it will take sacrifice of time and comfort. I was mediocre, and today, I have reached difficult milestones in my career. Do not think that 12th board marks decide what you are capable of achieving in life. Believe in yourself and work towards it’.”
“Varun had written that if he could inspire even a single student, it would be a lot. But today I would like to say -- he has inspired the whole country. Even though his letter talks only to the students, he has given a message to our entire society,” the PM said.
Talking of other issues, the PM mentioned a unique campaign by the people of Arunachal Pradesh – “Airgun Surrender Campaign”. In this campaign, people are voluntarily surrendering their airguns so that indiscriminate hunting of birds can be stopped in Arunachal Pradesh, which is home to more than 500 species of birds. These include some indigenous species, which are not found anywhere else in the world. The PM said gradually the number of birds in forests has started declining due to their killing, and he hoped this airgun surrender campaign will rectify the situation. The people of Arunachal Pradesh have so far voluntarily surrendered more than 1,600 airguns.