Independence Day Eve: President Kovind dwells on lessons learnt from fight against COVID19 pandemic

Greeting fellow citizens on the eve of 74th Independent Day (Aug 14), Presiden

t Ram Nath Kovind, in his address said, "The celebrations of Independence Day this year will be rather restrained. The reason is obvious. The whole world confronts a deadly virus which has disrupted all activities and taken a huge toll. It has altered the world we lived in before the pandemic."

"With our committed efforts, we have succeeded in containing the magnitude of the pandemic and saving a large number of lives. This is worth emulating by the wider world...The nation is indebted to doctors, nurses and other health workers who have been continuously on the forefront of our fight against this virus...The Government continues to extend its helping hand through a number of initiatives, supported whole-heartedly by the corporate sector, civil society and citizens," he added.

He was of the view that in the fight against COVID-19, life and livelihood, both were essential and the current crisis could also be seen as an opportunity to initiate reforms to revitalise the economy for the benefit of all, specially farmers and small entrepreneurs.

According to him, the crisis has taught the following four main tough lessons.

1. ...The pandemic, like climate change, has awakened the global community to our shared destiny. In my view, 'human-centric collaboration' is more important than 'economy-centric inclusion', in the present context.

2. ...Coronavirus does not recognize any artificial divisions created by human society...We need to further strengthen this virtue (compassion) in our conduct. Only then can we create a better future for all of us.

3. ...The public health infrastructure needs to be expanded and strengthened.

4. ...Information and communication technology has emerged as an effective tool for governance, education, business, office work and social connect. It has helped meet the twin objectives of saving lives and resumption of activities.

Note: The inset picture is representative of national festival with a rangoli design created by this scribe.