"Self-Reliance Biggest Lesson From COVID-19 Crisis," Says PM Modi

The coronavirus crisis has taught India to "be self-sufficient and not depend on others for anything we need in our daily lives", Prime Minister Narendra Modi told village chiefs today during a video conference held amid a nationwide lockdown to break the chain of transmission of the COVID-19 virus.

During his address on the occasion of Panchayati Raj Day, the Prime Minister, who used his scarf as a face mask, praised villages for handling the national health crisis better than urban centres and said "there is much to learn from you all". The PM also praised villages for "ideas and things being done (that) are something we don't even see in the urban centres of India, where people have better education".

"Coronavirus has sent so many challenges our way, but we must always learn from the situation we are in in life. It has given us a lot to think about and taught about the way we act. It has made it absolutely clear that we have to depend only on ourselves for our survival," the Prime Minister said.

"Villages have shown that our traditions, culture and learnings are from the ground up and not the other way around. Villages have handled the crisis better than cities. They are handling social distancing better and with more discipline. There is much to learn from you all," he said, adding, "What we see in this crisis is ideas and things being done in villages that we don't even see in urban centres, where people have better education".

The PM called for people, "from cities to villages", to learn from this crisis and "be self-sufficient and not depend on others for anything we need in our daily lives". He also highlighted the role technology has played at this time, a topic he touched upon in greater detail during a LinkedIn post last week.

PM Modi then made special reference to the work of his government over the past six years to "rapidly make available broadband connections in villages, making fast connections available throughout the country and ensuring mobile phones reach every corner".

"It is technology that binds us and makes such a meeting possible today," PM Modi said.

Earlier this week the Prime Minister, in a letter to Rural Development Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, commended Panchayati Raj members across the country for their role during this health crisis and called them "brave warriors".

The nation is currently in the midst of a strict lockdown ordered by PM Modi to contain the novel coronavirus. The lockdown, ordered last month and extended to May 3 this month, has been credited with the government for saving 8.2 lakh people from infection.

However, it has also brought the economy to a near-standstill, with all industries and commercial establishments (except those supplying essential goods) shut down.

On Monday, after several chief ministers highlighted the impact of the lockdown on the economy and employment rates, the centre cautiously re-started some sectors of the economy in areas least affected by the virus.

Many of the industries re-started are centred around rural areas, including farming and horticulture, fisheries and construction of roads and other infrastructure projects. This week bread factories, milk processing units and flour mills in urban areas were also restarted.

The number of coronavirus cases in India has crossed 23,000, the government has said, with 718 deaths linked to the virus.