English rendering of PM’s address to the nation dated 21st October 2020:
My dear countrymen!
Namaskar!
We, all the Indians have come a long way in the fight against Corona, since the Janata curfew till today. With time, the economic activities also seem to have picked up gradually. Most of us are stepping out of our homes every day to discharge our responsibilities and to give momentum to life again. In this festive season, the hustle and bustle of the markets is gradually returning. But we must not forget that even though the lockdown has been lifted, the virus is still present. We must not allow the stable situation that India has been able to achieve in the last 7-8 months with the effort of every Indian to deteriorate. We have to improve further.
Today the recovery rate in the country has improved a lot and the fatality rate is low. In India, about 5500 people per 10 lakh population have contracted coronavirus, while in countries like America and Brazil, this figure is close to 25,000. In India, the death rate is 83 per 10 lakh people, while in many countries like America, Brazil, Spain and Britain, this figure is more than 600. India is succeeding in saving the lives of more and more of its citizens compared to the resource-rich countries of the world. Today, more than 90 lakh beds are available for Corona patients in our country. There are 12,000 Quarantine Centres. There are around 2000 labs for corona testing. The number of Tests conducted in the country will soon cross the 10 crore mark. The increasing number of tests has been a major strength in our fight against the Covid pandemic.
Our doctors, nurses, healthcare workers, security personnel and other people are serving such a large population selflessly following the mantra of ‘Seva Parmo Dharma’. Amidst all these efforts, this is not the time to be careless. This is not the time to assume that the corona is not there anymore, or that there is no danger from the corona now. In recent times, we have all seen various pictures and videos in which it is clear that many people have now stopped taking precautions, or have become too careless. This is not good at all. If you are careless and are walking out without a mask, then you are putting yourself, your family, your children, and the elderly in a lot of trouble. Keep in mind, be it America or the countries in Europe, Corona cases were declining in these countries, but suddenly the cases are increasing again, that too alarmingly.
Friends, Sant Kabirdas Ji has said- पकी खेती देखिके, गरब किया किसान। अजहूं झोला बहुत है, घर आवै तब जान। That means, often we become extremely confident that the work is done just by looking at the ripe crop. But till the harvest comes home, the work should not be considered accomplished. This is what Kabirdas has said. That is, do not be negligent until success is attained.
Friends,
Until the vaccine against this virus is available, we must not let our fight with Corona weaken even for once. After several years we are seeing that the work is being done all over the world on a war footing to save humanity. Many countries are working towards it. Scientists of our country are also working hard for vaccine. Work is underway on several corona vaccines currently in India. Some of these are at advanced stages. The situation seems to be reassuring.
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