Prime Minister Narendra Modi 
Special 
Prime Minister Narendra Modi Prime Minister Narendra Modi, interacting with district officials on the COVID-19 situation in India, on Tuesday said they were playing a very important role in the battle against coronavirus. He said in a way, they were "field commanders" of the battle against the deadly virus.
"There are different challenges in every district of our country. You understand the challenges of your district best. When your district wins, it is the country's victory. If your district defeats COVID-19, so does the country," said PM Modi.
PMO India (@PMOIndia) May 18, 2021
field commander : PM @narendramodi
He said last year, the government refrained from shutting the farming sector. "I was astonished to see how villagers were maintaining social distancing in the fields. Villages grasp the information and modify it according to their needs. This is the strength of villages," he said.
The PM said only "local containment zones, aggressive testing and correct and complete information" were India's tool against coronavirus. He said the country would continue to work towards "testing, tracking, treatment and Covid appropriate behaviour" and that in the second Covid-19 wave, a lot of attention was needed to be paid to rural and inaccessible areas.
Interacting with District Officials on the COVID-19 situation. https://t.co/Yy4w15sZYB
Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 18, 2021
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He said apart from Covid-19, district authorities would also have to take care of the 'Ease of Living' of every citizen. "We have to stop infection while ensuring the all daily essential supply chain remains ineffective," he said.
Talking about the vaccine shortage issue, he said constant efforts were being made to increase the supply of coronavirus vaccine on a very large scale.
District officials, who participated in the virtual interaction session from 10 states - Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, Karnataka, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Goa, Assam, Chandigarh, Delhi and Himachal Pradesh.
Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa also attended the meeting. The Prime Minister's Office has issued a statement on Monday, saying PM Modi will be interacting with field officials from states and districts on their experiences in handling the pandemic at 11 am on May 18. Many of these districts have seen a huge surge in cases and widespread infection.
"The battle against COVID-19 across various States & Districts is being led at the cutting edge by field-level officials. Many of them have shown great initiative and come out with imaginative solutions. A better appreciation of such initiatives will help towards developing an effective response plan, targeted strategy implementation and support necessary policy interventions," the statement said.
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