New Delhi | Jagran News Desk: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday interacted with the members of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) nations in wake of the coronavirus outbreak in the region and said that India’s guiding mantra in dealing with outbreak is ‘Prepare, but don't panic’.
Addressing the video conference, the Prime Minister said that India started screening people entering the country from mid-January itself, while gradually increasing restrictions on travel. PM Modi further said that the step-by-step approach has helped India avoid panic.
“Our people-to-people ties are ancient and our societies are deeply interconnected. Therefore, we must all prepare together, act together and succeed together. As we prepare to face this challenge, let me briefly share India’s experience of combating the spread of this virus so far. ‘Prepare, but don’t panic’ has been our guiding mantra,” PM Modi said.
PM Modi also said that India responded to the call of its people abroad and evacuated nearly 1,400 Indians from different countries while adding that New Delhi also helped some citizens of neighbouring countries by evacuating them from coronavirus-hit nations.
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He said that India has formed an Integrated Disease Surveillance Portal to better trace possible virus carriers and the people they contacted. India could share this Disease Surveillance software with SAARC partners, and training on using this, said PM modi.
“We are assembling a Rapid Response Team of doctors and specialists in India, along with testing kits and other equipment. They will be on stand-by, to be placed at your disposal, if required,” PM Modi said.
“Looking ahead, we could create a common research platform, to coordinate research on controlling epidemic diseases within our South Asian region. The Indian Council of Medical Research can offer help coordinating such an exercise,” he added.
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“The Maldives is fortunate to have received general assistance from India and I convey my Government's appreciation to Mr Modi and people of India,” he said.
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“Since India is both a very imp member of SAARC and a member of Shanghai Cooperation, it can coordinate between SAARC and Shanghai Cooperation and share how much experience of China is replicable to our situation and how do we learn from their experience,” he said.
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Sri Lanka President Gotabaya Rajapaksa thanked PM Modi for initiating this video conference to share experiences, ideas, best practices and to understand the challenges and discuss measures to be taken, urging SAARC members to formulate their economy.
“Our economy has taken serious blow, particularly tourism sector which was just recovering after last years' terrorist attack. I strongly recommend SAARC leaders to formulate mechanism to assist our economies to tide over difficult period,” he said.
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Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina also praised PM Modi for initiating this video conference and thanked India for bringing and hosting 23 of their students from China’s Wuhan along with Indian students.
“To continue this dialogue at technical level, our Health Ministers, Health Secretaries and health experts should also hold this kind of video conferences to discuss specific areas of cooperation,” she said.
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No nation on earth can afford to be unresponsive to COVID-19: Pakistan
Zafar Mirza, State Minister of Health of Pakistan who attended the video conference, said that there is no room for any complacency and the SAARC member should be prepared for the worst.
“With over 155,000 infections, 5833 deaths and 138 countries involved, no nation & no region on earth can afford to be unresponsive,” he said.
About SAARC video conference:
PM Modi on Friday had proposed formulation of a joint strategy by the SAARC nations to fight coronavirus, a suggestion that was backed by all the member states.
Calling on the SAARC nations to set an example for the world, Modi had reached out to the eight-member regional grouping and pitched for a video-conference among its leaders to chalk out a strong strategy to fight coronavirus, which has killed more than 5,000 people globally.
His appeal got a prompt response from Sri Lankan President Rajapaksa, Maldivian President Solih, Nepalese Prime Minister Oli, Bhutanese premier Tshering, Bangladeshi Prime Minister Hasina and the Afghan government, all of whom welcomed the proposal.
Pakistan's response to the proposal came in after the rest, with the country's Foreign Office Spokesperson Aisha Farooqui saying the threat of COVID-19 required coordinated efforts at global and regional levels.
“We have communicated that SAPM (Special Assistant to Pakistani Prime Minister) on Health (Zafar Mirza) will be available to participate in the video-conference of SAARC member countries on the issue,” she said.