Racism against NE Indians Needs be Dealt with "Firmly", Says PM Modi

New Delhi, April 11, 2020:

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a video interaction with all the Chief Ministers of the State, decried acts of racism against those from the Northeast Indian States. PM Modi also demanded against the perpetrators of these discriminatory acts.

Condemning and expressing distress at the instances of attacks on the doctors and medical staff, and at incidents of misbehavior with students from North-East and Kashmir. The Prime Minister said this against the backdrop of several cases of racism against those from the Northeast Indian states.

PM Modi underlined that such cases of racism need to be dealt with firmly. He also spoke about the need to curb lockdown violations and ensure that social distancing is followed.

Meanwhile, the Chief Ministers have suggested extension of Lockdown by two weeks. Our mantra earlier was ‘jaan hai to jahaan hai’ but now is ‘jaan bhi jahaan bhi, said the PM, adding that the next 3-4 weeks will be critical to determine impact of steps taken till now to curb spread of the virus.

At the meeting, the PM also suggested specific measures for agriculture and allied sector including modification of APMC laws to facilitate sale of farm produce. In the meeting, the PM also said that the Aarogya Setu app is an essential tool in our fight against COVID-19, can subsequently act as e-pass to facilitate travel.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi today interacted with Chief Ministers of all states via video conferencing to strategize ahead for tackling COVID-19. This was the third such interaction of the Prime Minister with the Chief Ministers, the earlier ones had been held on 2nd April and 20th March, 2020. PM assures that the country has adequate supplies of essential medicines; gives a stern message against black marketing and hoarding.

Meanwhile, PM Modi has also emphasized the criticality of coming 3-4 weeks for determining the impact of the steps taken till now to contain the virus, adding that teamwork is the key to facing the challenge.

Prime Minister categorically assured that India has adequate supplies of essential medicines and said that measures are being taken to ensure availability of protective gear and critical equipment for all front-line workers. He also gave a stern message against black marketing and hoarding.

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Talking about the exit plan from lockdown, Prime Minister said that there seems to be a consensus among the states on extension of Lockdown by another two weeks. He underlined that the motto of the government earlier was ‘jaan hai to jahaan hai’ but now is ‘jaan bhi jahaan bhi’.

Prime Minister talked about strengthening healthcare infrastructure and reaching out to patients through tele-medicine. He also suggested that direct marketing for farm produce can be incentivised to prevent crowding in mandis, for which model APMC laws should be reformed swiftly. Such steps will help farmers sell products at their doorstep.

Prime Minister also spoke about popularizing the Aarogya Setu app to ensure downloads in greater numbers. He referred to how South Korea and Singapore got success in contact tracing. Based on those experiences, India has made its own effort through the app which will be an essential tool in India’s fight against the pandemic, he said. He also referred to the possibility of the app being an e-pass which could subsequently facilitate travel from one place to another.

The Chief Ministers provided feedback about the COVID positive cases in their respective states, steps taken by then to maintain social distancing, ramp up healthcare infrastructure, mitigate difficulties of migrants and maintain supply of essentials.

The Chief Ministers suggested that Lockdown should be extended by two weeks. They also sought financial and fiscal assistance from the Centre to boost their resources in this fight against the pandemic.

The interaction was also attended by Union Home Minister, Defence Minister, Health Minister, Principal Secretary, Cabinet Secretary and other senior officials of Government of India.

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