‘Some enjoyed making scary predictions’: PM Modi on Covid, wars and shortage rumours in big I-day speech

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday highlighted the multiple crises India faced over the past decade, from the Covid-19 pandemic and wars to fears over shortages of essential supplies, saying the country overcame them through careful planning and preparation.Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses the nation during the 8oth Independence Day celebrations, at Red Fort in New Delhi. (YouTube/@narendramodi)Addressing the nation from the Red Fort on Independence Day, Modi said the pandemic had plunged the world into uncertainty and placed systems under severe strain. As countries began recovering from Covid-19, wars in Ukraine and West Asia brought fresh challenges, he said. Track PM Modi Red Fort address LIVE.Modi also criticised those who, according to him, spread alarming predictions and rumours during times of crisis.“And who knows what all the so-called forecasters had predicted. Some people seemed to take pleasure in frightening Indians and keeping them immersed in fear and anxiety,” he said.‘Preparations of past 10-12 years bearing fruit’The Prime Minister said India’s response to these crises showed that the preparations and policies put in place over the past 10-12 years had strengthened the country’s ability to deal with major disruptions.“But the country has seen that the well-thought-out plans of the past 10–12 years are bearing fruit,” he said.Modi said the government’s approach during the pandemic was guided by the principle of “Nagrik Devo Bhava”, under which citizens were treated as the highest priority.“The preparations India had made, the steps it had taken one after another – although we had not anticipated that such a crisis would come – all these preparations proved useful when the crisis arrived,” he said.Pointing to the availability of essential supplies today, Modi said, “And today, the country has gas, petrol and urea.”He added that India was increasingly building its strength on its own capabilities, saying, “We are standing on our own strength (hum apni takat ke upar khade ho rahe hain).”