Covid cases rising in many countries, be vigilant: PM Modi to people

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday cautioned people, especially holidaymakers, to wear masks and wash their hands as Covid-19 is spreading in several countries, thus the need to be extra vigilant.

Addressing the 96th edition of his Mann ki Baat broadcast, the PM sought suggestions from listeners for the "unprecedented landmark" of the hundredth episode next year. Modi said the outgoing 2022, the 75th year of its Independence, has been inspirational for India, a year when it carved for itself a "special place" in the world.

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Lauding the country's feats in 2022, he said India attained the status of the world's fifth largest economy, achieved the record surpassing "incredible" figure of 220 crore Covid vaccine doses, crossed the "magical" export figure of $400 billion and welcomed its first indigenous aircraft carrier, INS Vikrant.

Modi pointed to a Tata Memorial Centre's research to assert that the efficacy of India's traditional healing methods and medicine, yoga and ayurveda, is now vindicated on the touchstone of evidence-based treatment of the modern era. An intensive research done by this centre has revealed that yoga is very effective for breast cancer patients, he said, noting that it is the first such study.

The Tata Memorial Center has presented the results of its study at the European Society of Medical Oncology conference in Paris, he said. "In today's era, the more evidence-based Indian medical systems are, their acceptance will increase worldwide. With this thought, an effort is also being made in Delhi's AIIMS," the prime minister said.

With India getting the presidency of the G20 group, he said the country has to take the enthusiasm around it to new heights and make this a mass movement in 2023.