PM Modi emphasises on development in eastern regions, cites migrant crisis amid COVID

Addressing the nation on his 65th 'Mann Ki Baat' on Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi touched upon a range of subjects concerning the country amid the COVID-19 crisis. Among them, was the development of the eastern region of the country which he said has the potential to take India to new heights. PM Modi said that the eastern region of the country has the potential to become India's growth engine. 

Anticipating the pain of the migrant workers amid the COVID-19 crisis, who mostly hail from the eastern part of the country, PM Modi said that there is a need for development in the eastern region.

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Prime Minister said: "What we are witnessing today in the country, gives us an opportunity to look at what happened in the past, analyse it and take lessons for the future. Today by seeing the pain of our migrant workers, we can realise the pain of the eastern region of our country. There is a need to develop the eastern region which has the potential to become the growth engine of the country."

"The country's sustainable development is possible with the development of this region,'" he added.

The Prime Minister said that the world has never experienced anything like this COVID-19 crisis before.

"In this situation, we are facing new challenges and difficulties arising out of it. This is happening in every coronavirus affected country and India too is not untouched by it. No section of society in the country has escaped from this problem," PM Modi said.

"Poor and labourers are worst affected by this crisis. Their pain cannot be expressed in words. We are trying to share this pain, the entire country is trying. Everybody is doing hard work. Railways employees are working round the clock. They are frontline corona warriors," PM Modi said.

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'Need to be more vigilant and cautious'

As the country is looking forward to exit the lockdown from June 1 and resuming almost all the services in all parts of the country except the containment zones, PM Modi emphasised on the need for the citizens to be more vigilant and extra cautious in order to stay safe and prevent themselves from the contraction of COVID-19.   

The Prime Minister had on March 24 announced a 21-day nationwide lockdown as a precautionary measure to contain the spread of COVID-19. The lockdown was later extended, in phases, till May 31. India has reported 182,143 COVID-19 cases as on May 31, of which 89,995 are active while 86,983 have recovered and discharged and 5,164 have succumbed to the virus, according to the health ministry. Although the number of COVID-19 cases in the country is rising at an alarming rate, the recovery rate of the country has improved to 47.40 percent.