The government, as well as the common people of the country, have been working together to clean the rivers and to save nature from pollution. Although India is a country of great intellect and deeds, tending to our guests and people in need, have always been a part of our culture. And it is this very innate culture of our country that has come to the rescue during Lockdown 2.0 due to coronavirus. Hard times are ahead, and even during this difficult phase, our country manages to stand out due to many good reasons.
How has Lockdown helped India
Currently, almost the entire world is going through the lockdown period to contain the spread of the deadly novel coronavirus. The lockdown period in India has been extended till May 3, which has created several difficulties for the countrymen. Like two faces of a coin, its positive impact is that the period has turned a blessing in disguise for the country. Here are the seven achievements India made during the lockdown due to coronavirus.
Ganga’s water turn drinkable; Water quality improves 50%
It seems nature is healing during the lockdown. The water of the Ganga and Yamuna rivers in India were considered not suitable even for bathing. Since the announcement of the first lockdown on March 24, things have improved drastically. At present, the water quality of the river Ganga at Har-ki-Pauri in Haridwar has turned clean enough to drink. What an amazing turnaround in a month-long lockdown period? It is an unprecedented success without spending even a single penny.
Industries being shut down due to coronavirus has given time to the great rivers of India to remedy the pollution issues. People are staying at homes, no waste materials are being thrown in the rivers. Therefore, the quality of the Ganga water has seen a remarkable improvement of around 50 per cent since March 24.
With the decrease of water pollution in the rivers the people of Allahabad are witnessing cleaner water in the two rivers Ganga and Yamuna which were missing for a long time. The Ganga pollution control board has also clarified the improvement in the quality of the two rivers.
Improvement in air quality
Amid the nationwide lockdown to prevent the spread of COVID-19, all the vehicles are off the road, so there is an unprecedented reduction in air pollution in India. People in the country are enjoying the clean and fresh air. Since many years now, many cities in India had become hotspots of pollution and even cities such as Delhi was choking with poisonous gas in its environment. The government tried odd-even policy to reduce vehicles on the road, thereby reducing the carbon emission, but things did not go very far. As per the report of the Center for Science and Environment, the level of particle pollution in Delhi has dropped by nearly 60 per cent.
Massive humanitarian aid
Industrialists, film stars, NGOs, and people of all walks have come forward to join hands with the government to help India fight coronavirus. They have donated with open arms to the Prime Minister’s PM CARES Fund, and many of them are tending to the needs of migrant workers who are left impoverished due to the lockdown. In India, not just the rich celebrities and industrialists have come forward; individuals are cooking meals at homes and sharing the same with the needy on a daily basis. Temples and Gurudwaras are preparing free meals and sharing them with the needy. Not just the biggies, individuals and the temples or gurudwaras, even police personnel are helping in feeding the needy.
Seeing our staunch resolve to fight coronavirus, international support is also pouring in. India has now decided to accept foreign funds into the recently constituted Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund (PM CARES Fund) to contain the deadly COVID-19. The World Bank has approved $1 billion for India to support the country in its fight against COVID-19 Emergency Response and Health Systems Preparedness Project. The United States is set to provide $2.9 million in aid to India in the fight against COVID-19.
Read More: How India has the Biggest Humanitarian Aid Network During COVID-19
Political parties on one platform
In the time of the COVID-19 crisis, the political parties of the country have left their political differences aside and are fighting together to beat this deadly virus. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been taking advice from the opposition as well. He has called for another meeting with the state chief ministers on April 27 through video conferencing. This would be the third interaction of the PM with the state chief ministers. The West Bengal government has also decided to work unitedly in their war against novel coronavirus. It is a healthy sign of a democratic country.
India, a global leader in the fight against COVID-19
India has been leading from the front as a world leader in the fight against COVID-19. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been considered among the top leaders worldwide in the fight against the deadly virus. PM Modi is on top of the popularity list of global leaders, according to the recent analysis done by pollster Morning Consult. As of April 14, Modi’s net approval rating is 68.
India emerges the pharmacy capital of the world
India’s pharmaceutical industry has made its name all over the world. The country is a leading producer of drugs in terms of volume. The growth of the pharmaceutical industry is impeccable in the last few years. The drug industry is likely to grow to US $55 billion by 2020, which was US $20 billion in 2015. Therefore, the demand for Indian drugs is high in the US and other countries of the world to contain the spread of COVID-19. India has sent hydroxychloroquine, paracetamol and other drugs to the US and other countries across the world.
Read More: How is India the Pharmacy Capital of The World?
Low mortality rate of India
The mortality rate is the most important way to measure the burden of the novel coronavirus. India is doing well in comparison to developed nations like the US and the UK as far as the death rate is concerned due to coronavirus. As per a report of the health ministry, a couple of days ago, the mortality rate for COVID-19 cases in India is around 3.2%. It means the recovery rate of the patients is healthy.
Though the economy has been going slow and the 1.3 Bn people are locked up in their homes, the crisis is enabling us to see the brighter grass on the other side. The crisis situation has proved the strength of India.
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