Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the role of technology in the fight against COVID-19. Modi took to Twitter on Monday, writing “we keep harnessing technology in order to create a healthier and better planet”.
“Today, technology is helping many in the efforts to make the world free from COVID-19. I salute all those at the forefront of research and innovation on ways to defeat Coronavirus,” Modi tweeted.
Today, technology is helping many in the efforts to make the world free from COVID-19. I salute all those at the forefront of research and innovation on ways to defeat Coronavirus. May we keep harnessing technology in order to create a healthier and better planet.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 11, 2020
May 11 is also the anniversary of India’s successful tests of nuclear missiles in Pokhran in the western deserts in 1998 under the leadership of the late Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
Indian scientists carried out a series of five nuclear test detinations in Pokhran on 11 May 1998. It was the second test by India, the first was conducted in May 1974. After the tests, Vajpayee declared India a nuclear state, and New Delhi had to face the backlash of the international community, with several countries imposing sanctions on it.
“The tests in Pokhran in 1998 also showed the difference a strong political leadership can make,” said Modi. “It was a landmark moment in India’s history.”
India commemorates the day as Technology Day.
Currently, several Indian scientific institutions are working on a viable medical solution to COVID-19 and a few of them are in the advanced stage of a breakthrough. Likewise, several laboratories have also developed technologies to handle epidemics with minimum human intervention.
Currently, India has a cumulative caseload of 67,152, including 20,917 cured cases. According to data released by federal Health Ministry on Monday, 2,206 people there have lost their lives to COVID-19.
