India in better position to fight COVID-19 than others, Atmanirbhar Bharat package will set economy on track: Amit Shah to News18

Home minister Amit Shah on Monday asserted that India is in a better position to fight coronavirus than other countries, and termed the measures taken in this regard as the Narendra Modi government’s ‘biggest achievement’.

He made these comments in an exclusive interview with Network18 editor-in-chief Rahul Joshi.

Shah said, “Till now, 12.6 per lakh people in the country have been affected by COVID-19, which is far better than US, Brazil and other countries. India’s recovery rate in is above 42 percent, according to the latest data.”

The World Health Organisation on Sunday said that India has now become the world’s seventh worst-hit country in terms of coronavirus cases with its tally of 1,82,143.

The home minister also spoke in detail about the ongoing migrant workers’ crisis, and said that if migrant labourers had been sent to the respective states before the lockdown, it would have posed a huge problem for the state governments as they did not have sufficient testing/quarantine facilities at that time. “We wanted to first strengthen the healthcare system in states before sending the migrant workers,” he remarked.

Shah said that 55 lakh migrant workers have been sent to their native states till now. He added that most migrant workers have now completed their quarantine period and started living with their families.

Speaking on the special economic package announced by the Centre to boost the economy, Shah said that the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative will set the economy on track. “Every Indian must use local goods and support Modi’s call for ‘Vocal for Local’,” he said. He also claimed that the policy will not result in reduced foreign investment.

He further said, “The pandemic has had an effect on every country’s economy…(In India), there have been several reforms and a Rs 20 lakh package has been announced. I have trust in the country’s youth and workers, and in the strength of Modiji’s leadership.”

‘Won’t compromise on India’s borders’

Shah also made his views clear on the Indo-China border military stand-off along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh.

The home minister said, “We can’t take the issue of LAC lightly. The government will not compromise one bit on this issue. We are dealing with this both militarily and diplomatically.”

However, Shah did not respond when asked if China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has entered Indian territory.

Listing out other achievements of the Modi governments in the past six years, Shah mentioned the abrogation of Article 370, the rise in Ease of Doing Business rankings and the surgical strikes, among other points.