Observing that India has achieved a “difficult but extraordinary” target of 100 crore Covid vaccine doses, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday cautioned people to remain vigilant and not become careless, and urged them to continue wearing masks, saying that weapons are not thrown away while the battle is on. Addressing the nation, the Prime Minister said, “Yesterday, on October 21, India has achieved the difficult but extraordinary target of 1 billion – 100 crore – vaccine doses. Behind this achievement is the power (kartavyashakti) of 130 crore countrymen; so this success is the success of India, the success of every countryman.” “When the biggest pandemic of 100 years came, questions started arising about India. Will India be able to fight this global pandemic? From where will India get the money to buy so many vaccines from other countries? When will India get the vaccine? Will the people of India get the vaccine or not? Will India be able to vaccinate enough people to stop the pandemic from spreading? There were various questions, but today the 100-crore vaccine doses are answering every question,” the Prime Minister said. Describing the achievement of 100-crore vaccine doses as a new chapter in India’s history, Modi said, “The country started the campaign of 'Free vaccine, vaccine for everyone', by taking everyone along… There was only one mantra that if the disease does not discriminate, then there cannot be any discrimination in the vaccination. Therefore, it was ensured that the VIP culture did not dominate the vaccination campaign.” India's development programme is an example of Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas and Sabka Prayas, the Prime Minister said. Modi also took a dig at critics saying that when the country lit lamps and clapped (taali-thaali) then some people wondered whether the disease would end. Observing that there is optimism about the Indian economy, the Prime Minister appealed to people to buy ‘Made in India’ products during the Diwali festival. He also urged people to remain alert and continue wearing masks as the virus threat is not yet over. “Desh bade lakshya tay karana aur unhen haasil karana jaanta hai. Lekin, iske liye hamein satat saavadhaan rehne ki jaroorat hai. Hamein laaparvaah nahin hona hai (The country knows how to set big goals and achieve them. But, for this we need to be constantly careful. We must not be careless),” he said. “Kavach kitna hee uttam ho, kavach kitna hee aadhunik ho, kavach se suraksha ki poori guarantee ho, to bhee, jab tak yuddh chal raha hai, hathiyaar nahin daale jaate. Mera aagrah hai, ki hamein apane tyohaaron ko poori satarkata ke saath hee manaana hai (No matter how good the cover is, no matter how modern the armour is, even if armour is a complete guarantee for protection, weapons are not thrown while the battle is on. I request that we celebrate our festivals with utmost care),” he added.
