Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday addressed the 76th episode of his monthly radio programme ‘Mann Ki Baat’. The radio programme comes amid the surge in the COVID-19 cases in the country. 

Noting that the second wave of COVID-19 is testing people’s patience and their limit to bear pain, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday that this “toofan” (storm) has shaken the country after it was full of spirit and self-confidence after successfully tackling the first wave. In his monthly Mann Ki Baat broadcast, Modi spoke to doctors, nurses and frontline workers, who shared their experience and views on the disease and expressed confidence that people will soon come out of this crisis.

The over 30-minute broadcast was entirely focussed on the pandemic, which has been rampaging across the country for weeks, with Modi asserting that defeating the disease is the biggest priority.

He urged countrymen to go for vaccination against the disease and cautioned them against rumours about it.

The Centre, he said, will continue to provide jabs free of cost to the eligible people (those over 45 years of age) and has been helping states in their efforts to deal with the disease with its full might.

“We have to give priority to the expert and scientific advice at this time to win this battle,” he said.

While people are getting affected by the disease, they are also recovering from it in big numbers, he said. 

On his previous Mann Ki Baat address, the Prime Minister lauded corona-warriors and the discipline of the people during last year’s Janata curfew.

In ‘Mann Ki Baat’ held in March, PM Modi also talked about the ‘Amrit Mahotsav’ and said that it will elevate the country to newer heights and instill a passion to do something for the country.

“Mann ki Baat” is the Prime Minister’s monthly radio address to the nation, which is broadcast on the last Sunday of every month.