Focus on saving lives as well as livelihoods: India lists out its COVID-19 strategy at UN

India`s First Secretary, Permanent Mission of India, Geneva, Pawan Badhe said, `We have managed to keep our fatalities at one-and-a-half per cent, for we responded by coming together not growing apart; Collaboration, not Confusion; Preparation not Panic.`

New Delhi: India has listed its COVID-19 strategy at the United Nation's Human Rights Council saying the mantra is ‘Jaan bhi, Jahan bhi’ which is "saving lives as well as livelihoods."

India's First Secretary, Permanent Mission of India, Geneva, Pawan Badhe said, "India has continued on the path to ramping up our capacities, securing the needs of poorest citizens and future-proofing our society and was among the first few countries to create a responsive system of lockdown, in launching public awareness campaigns about social distancing and use of face masks."

While India is now the second worst-COVID-19-hit country across the world after the United States, it also continues to post high recoveries according to government data which says that the national recovery rate has touched 78.28%.

Badhe explained that India has been able to upscale, in record time, health infrastructure, including COVID hospitals, ICU capacities and testing facilities.

Notably, India currently has 298 COVID-19 testing labs. 

Badhe at the HRC also highlighted that India has emerged as the second-largest manufacturer of PPE kits in the world and has been deploying indigenously developed digital tools for contact tracing and to predict emerging hotspots.

He added, "We have managed to keep our fatalities at one-and-a-half per cent, for we responded by coming together not growing apart; Collaboration, not Confusion; Preparation not Panic."

India has announced the economic stimulus package to deal with the crisis as under the Prime Minister’s Garib Kalyan Package, US$ 22 billion were set out to alleviate the situation of the poor and vulnerable and funds were transferred through direct cash transfer schemes to 28 million poor senior citizens, differently-abled people, and indigent widows.

The Indian diplomat also pointed out that India has sent medical supplies to over 150 nations. 

He said, "Universality of human needs has guided our collective action and India remains committed to being inclusive and non-transactional in collaborating with other stakeholders in a collective quest to develop solutions to manage the crisis."