“Transportation has opened now; we need to be more careful and follow social distancing, wear face masks,” said the Prime Minister

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his address to the nation on Mann Ki Baat today, said, with much of public transport, planes and trains beginning to operate, the country needs to be more careful in observing social distancing norms.
The last time we spoke, public transport, planes, trains were not running, but now much of it has opened. In such a situation, we need to be more careful. Social distancing, wearing of masks, must be followed strictly.
The entire movement of controlling the pandemic was people driven, the Prime Minister said, adding that it was a big achievement for the country despite its challenges like a huge population.
Mr. Modi lauded those involved in serving others. They are positive, confident and vital, he said about the power of the citizens of the country.
“Services rendered by doctors, paramedics , police have been mentioned earlier. One such person is C. Mohan of Tamil Nadu who runs a saloon and had saved money for his daughters marriage which he is now spending to help others.
“Raju from Punjab spent all his savings to procure and distribute masks to people.
“Womens self help groups are also involved in making masks.
“Many are informing me via the NaMo App. I appreciate all, and my respect to all such people. What has touched me in this period is the spirit of innovation. For example, Nashiks Rajendra Yadav has attached a sanitisation machine to his tractor and it has been working effectively.
“Small shopkeepers too are innovating with pipes. Online and video classes by educational institutions are also appreciable. The world is looking at our laboratories for innovations there. To win we will need such innovations,” the Prime Minister said.
On migrant workers
“This battle is going to be long and hard as there is yet no cure nor precedent. Nobody has been left untouched. The biggest blow has been on the poor, labouring class. Who among us has not felt the pain they are going through? Our railways, administration are working day and night to mitigate the situation to return inter state labour home. They are Corona Warriors too.
“Whatever we are witnessing should be a lesson for the future,” Mr. Modi said.
“We are looking at the pain of eastern India , it has the potential to be the growth engine. Looking at the interstate migrant situation, many steps are now being taken to make sure this kind of situation does not occur again, like migration commission and skill mapping.
“Many people have made a list of goods produced in their areas for self reliance. Himanshu from Bihar has written to me saying that he looks forward to the day when imports are minimum. Assams Sudeep says he markets local bamboo products made by women living nearby. He said he will try and make it a global brand in the future,” he added.
On Yoga and the Ayushman Bharat scheme
“I have been speaking to world leaders and have seen that many have interest in Yoga and Ayurveda and their thereuptic powers. More and more people are willing to adopt Yoga.
“Yoga is good for Community, immunity and unity. It also positively affects the respiratory system. Bhastrika, bhraamari Pranayams are especially helpful,” he said, urging people to participate in the My Yoga My Life competition started by the Ayush Ministry.
Crores are worried about the expenditure on health, Mr. Modi said. “Ayushman Bharat was launched keeping this in mind. Beneficiaries have crossed one crore. It is equal to the population of Norway.
“Rs 14,000 crore was disbursed under it. Ayushman Bharat is also portable and that is one of the advantages of the scheme. 80% of the beneficiaries are from rural areas, 50% are women, and 70% have had surgeries paid for under the scheme. Six-year-old Kelen Sang, son of a daily wager got free treatment for a brain ailment.
“Amrutha Valli of Puducherry had lost her husband , and her son Jiva required an expensive heart surgery, which was made possible by Ayushman Bharat.
“I want to tell our honest tax payers that you too are the beneficiary of the good karma generated from this scheme,” the Prime Minister said.
Amphan and locust attacks
“We witnessed the destruction of Cyclone Amphan and appreciate the strength of the people of Bengal and Odisha to combat it. The country stands with them.
“We are also seeing an attack of locusts. We are relying modern methods to combat this threat. I hope we will be able to overcome this challenge,” Mr. Modi said.
Lockdown and biodiversity
“On June 5th we will celebrate World Environment Day. The theme this year is biodiversity. Lockdown has slowed life down and we have been able to be mindful of the biodiversity that has come alive around us. After seeing pictures of suddenly visible mountain ranges , birdsong, we feel, cant this be the case always? We have to take care that we preserve biodiversity.
“It is our duty to save and harvest water. There are easy and simple ways to do it. In this monsoon season we must try to save and harvest water. We must take steps at individual levels so that you have an everyday relationship with nature like nurturing trees, feeding birds.
“We should not let the fight against Coronavirus to weaken. I am confident that you will maintain all precautions for the rest of the country,” Mr. Modi concluded.