‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ spirit pervades everyday life from cricket field to COVID fight: PM

PTI, Jan 22, 2021, 12:47 PM IST

Tezpur: ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ mission has become a part of everyday life of the country and its spirit pervades from the cricket field to COVID-19 management, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday.

He also hailed the country’s scientists and health professionals for effectively tackling the COVID-19 pandemic.

‘Atmanirbhar Bharat is not only about technological advancement and progress. It has become part of everyday life of the nation,’ he said, addressing the 18th convocation of Tezpur University digitally from New Delhi.

In this context, he referred to the miraculous victory of the young Indian cricket team in Australia which overcame multiple challenges to win the Test match series.

‘They faced the challenges boldly and came up with new solutions despite a string of injuries and lack of experience.

A positive mindset always leads to positive results which is the essence of Atmanirbhar Bharat,’ he said.

‘We should learn to take risks and overcome fear of failure,’ Modi said.

Speaking about India’s fight against the pandemic, the prime minister said there was scepticism about how such a large country will tackle it.

‘Our COVID-19 management showed where there is resolve and resilience, resources come naturally. And today the world’s largest vaccination programme is under way in India,’ he said.

The prime minister said immense opportunities have opened up for the students in the Northeast with improved connectivity and strengthening of the education and health care sectors.

Tezpur University’s Innovation Centre and its initiatives for grassroots innovation are an example of ‘vocal for local’. They are instrumental in solving the problems of the people of the region, he said.