Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who refers to Himachal as his second home, amply proved this in his interaction with healthcare workers, panchayat representatives and senior citizens as he fondly remembered the hill state’s cuisine, deities and revered Buddhist gompas.
“I am missing Mandyali dham (feast) that I relish so much. The people of Seraj, including Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur and people like you seem to have made it a mission to vaccinate every person,” he said in his interaction with Dyal Singh, Thunag panchayat in Seraj Assembly segment in Mandi represented by the Chief Minister. The Prime Minister today interacted and lauded the efforts of health workers in making Himachal number one in the Covid vaccine drive and its zero wastage.
Modi’s first initiation was with Dr Rahul hailing from Kutch in Gujarat, the PM’s home state of Gujarat. “I had never seen the mountains, so I thought of serving in a difficult area like Dodra Kawar in Rohru area of Shimla district,” said Dr Rahul when PM asked how he landed here.
“We faced problems like a 10-hour arduous climb on the steep mountains and poor internet signal but there was no problem in getting vaccine supply,” he stated when about the challenges he faced. Speaking in Gujarati, he said teams were sent to each village to educate people in local language. The PM asked him whether his friends and family have visited Dodra Kawar.
The Prime Minister lauded the constructive role played by the Buddhist monasteries and religious leaders in convincing people to take the vaccine in his interaction with Nawang Upasak from the tribal area of Lahaul. “When Covid came to the Valley, people got scared and got cut off from the country. We got in touch with priests at all the Gompas (Buddhist monasteries) and asked them to urge monks and people to take the vaccine as there was no fear of side effects. Then Dalai Lama took the vaccine, videos of which went viral, which further convinced people,” he said.
source : The Tribune
