Har Har Mahadev!

I have been in constant touch with you, taking inputs and getting information from several sources regarding Kashi’s battle against the corona pandemic. Despite the time limit, all of you have made very good presentations and informed us as to how the people of Kashi, administration and hospitals are working in this difficult time. It is said here “काश्याम् विश्वेश्वरः तथा” i.e., Baba Vishwanath is omnipresent in Kashi and everyone here is a part of Baba Vishwanath. In this difficult time during corona, our people of Kashi and everyone working here have truly proved this statement meaningful. All of you have served the people by working in the welfare spirit of Shiva. Being a ‘sevak’ of Kashi, I thank each and every person of Kashi from the bottom of my heart. The work done by all of you, especially our doctors, nurses, technicians, ward boys and ambulance drivers, is truly commendable. However, this pandemic is so acute that despite your hard work and immense efforts, we have not been able to save many of our family members. This virus has snatched away many of our loved ones from us. I pay my humble tributes to all those people and express my condolences to their families.

Friends,

During Corona's second wave, we have to fight on many fronts simultaneously. This time the infection rate is also several times higher than before and patients have to be hospitalized for longer. All of this has created a huge pressure on our health system. Banaras is anyway a hub of health services not only for Kashi but also for the entire Purvanchal.  People from some parts of Bihar are also dependent on Kashi. Naturally, such pressure on the health system here is a big challenge. The work done on the health system here in the last seven years has supported us a lot, yet it has been an extraordinary situation. It is only through the hard work of our doctors and health workers that it has been possible to handle this pressure. All of you rose above and worked day and night to protect each patient. The way Banaras has handled itself in such a short span of time is being discussed all over the country today.

Friends,

In this difficult time, our people's representatives, officials and security forces have served Banaras continuously. Oxygen plants were started and several new oxygen plants were also set up to increase the supply of oxygen. New ventilators and oxygen concentrators were also arranged in Purvanchal, including Banaras.

Friends,

The speed at which Banaras has increased the number of oxygen and ICU beds manifold in such a short span of time, the way Pandit Rajan Mishra Covid Hospital has been activated so quickly is also an example in itself. With the advent of new machines with modern techniques, the number of RT-PCR tests has also increased here. I am told that the Integrated Covid Command Centre at Banaras is also functioning in a very systematic manner. The way you used technology, made all the necessary arrangements accessible to patients and the common people, is exemplary. The schemes that have been formulated in our country in the last few years and the campaigns that have been launched have helped a lot in fighting corona, whether it is the toilets built under the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.  When I came here to thank you after you elected me as an MP in 2014, you showered so much love on me and gave so many blessings to me. But what I did? On the very first day, I did not offer you anything, but asked something from the people of Kashi and I publicly asked you to promise me that we will keep Kashi clean. Today we find that we are benefiting from your promise to me and your constant efforts for cleanliness to save Kashi. The free treatment facility provided under the Ayushman Bharat Yojana has also been a beneficiary and so are gas cylinders under the Ujjwala Yojana, Jan Dhan Bank accounts, or Fit India campaign and Yoga and AYUSH. When the Yoga Day was started on June 21 after the UN approved the International Day of Yoga, it was met with derision initially, criticized and was given a communal colour, but today Yoga is also becoming a great practice in fighting corona all over the world. Awareness of Yoga and AYUSH has greatly enhanced the strength of the people in the fight against corona.

Friends,

By the grace of Mahadev, Banaras is a city brimming with spiritual abilities. Whether it is the first wave of corona or the second wave, the people here have been epitome of patience and service. The people of Kashi and the social organizations are constantly serving the patients, the poor and the elderly like a family member and are concerned about them. Kashi has dedicated itself completely so that no family has to worry about food and no poor person has to worry about medicines. Many traders themselves have come forward and closed their shops to break the chain of infection. All these traders and our colleagues did not worry about their economic gains and losses, but joined the service with their own resources. Your sense of service will overwhelm anyone, but I know that this is the inherent nature of this city of Mother Annapurna. Service towards mankind is a kind of mantra of worship here.

Friends,

With your penance and with the collective efforts of all of us, you have handled this pandemic to a great extent. But there is no time for content now. We have to fight a long battle. Now we have to pay a lot of attention to the rural areas of Banaras and Purvanchal. And our new mantra for every system and unit is ‘Jahan Bimar Wahan Upchar' (Bringing treatment to the patient’s doorstep). We should not forget this. The more we bring the treatment to the patient’s doorstep, the lesser the burden will be on the health system. Secondly, Kashi has successfully focused on the micro-containment zones and is benefiting from it. The way you are distributing medicines in cities and villages by creating micro-containment zones and medical kits to the people of the villages is a very good initiative. This campaign has to be widened as much as possible in rural areas. By connecting doctors, labs and e-marketing companies together, the tele-medicine facility called ‘Kashi Kavach’ is a very innovative experiment. A special awareness campaign should also be run to ensure that the benefits of this facility reach the people in the villages. Similarly, many senior and young doctors in UP are also serving in rural areas through telemedicine. It can be widened by taking them along. Our ASHA workers and ANM sisters also have a very important role in the ongoing fight against Covid in the villages. I would prefer the maximum use of their potential and experience.

Friends,

In the second wave, we have also seen the safety of the vaccine. Our front line workers have been able to serve the people with certainty to a large extent due to the vaccine protection. This protective shield will reach everyone in the near future. We must get the vaccine when our turn comes. Just as our fight against corona has become a collective campaign, vaccination has to be a collective responsibility.

Friends,

When there are sensitive efforts, there is a sense of service, people feel the suffering and there is a science-led approach, then the work done on the ground is also visible. I remember the havoc of meningitis in children in Purvanchal earlier. Meningitis caused the tragic death of thousands of children every year. Our Chief Minister Yogi ji, who was an MP earlier, broke down in parliament over the children dying one after the other.  He used to plead with the governments of that time to save these children and make some arrangements. He would cry as thousands of children used to die. And this went on for years. Yogi ji was in parliament and continued to do what he could. But when Yogi ji became the Chief Minister of UP, he launched a massive campaign against meningitis with the support of the Indian government. All of you are very familiar with it and we have succeeded in saving the lives of a large number of children today. We have been able to bring this disease under control considerably. The people and children of Purvanchal have benefited a lot. This example shows us that we have to continue to work with similar sensitivity and vigilance. We have to remember that our fight is against an invisible enemy which changes its pattern. In this battle, we have to protect our children from corona and make special preparations for them also. When I was talking to the UP officials recently, your Chief Secretary Tiwari ji told me in detail that an entire system has been developed regarding what has to be done if children have corona. I was very happy that the Uttar Pradesh government is working well in this regard. A lot of work has been started.

Friends,

In this battle, there is another new challenge of black fungus these days. It is important to pay attention to the necessary precautions and arrangements to deal with this. While I was talking to you, I shared with you whatever information I had in this regard.  

Friends,

The preparations made by the administration during the second wave have to be maintained even after the decline in cases. At the same time, we have to continuously monitor figures and the situation. The experiences that you have gained in Banaras should benefit the entire Purvanchal and the state. I would like our doctors and health workers to share their experiences in their fraternity. The people of the administration should also convey their experiences and inputs to the Government so that your best practices can be used in other areas for sweeping benefits. I would also like to tell all the people's elected representatives that you have been constantly working despite a lot of burden. Sometimes one has to listen to people’s displeasure. I believe that the sensitivity and humility with which you are associated acts as an ointment to the common man. I also express my satisfaction to all the people's representatives for joining and leading this campaign. We all have to ensure that even if a single citizen has any problem, then his concern is also the natural responsibility of the people's representatives. We have to continue to take it to the authorities and the government to ensure a solution. I am sure our collective efforts will bring good results and very soon Kashi will win this battle with the blessings of Baba Vishwanath. I wish you all a healthy life. I pray at the feet of Baba Vishwanath that everyone should be healthy. Since Baba Vishwanath looks after the wellbeing of the entire human race, it would not be appropriate to ask something for a particular region. May you and your family members remain healthy! With this wish, many thanks to all of you!

DISCLAIMER: This is the approximate translation of PM’s speech. Original speech was delivered in Hindi.

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DS/AKJ/VK/AK