Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that the most significant message developing out of the COVID-19 pandemic was for India to be self-reliant and self-sufficient for the majority of its requirements, and that this was necessary for the nation if it faced such a crisis again.
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He was attending to a video conference of sarpanches from throughout the nation on Panchayati Raj Day, throughout which he also released two programmes, e-GramSwaraj, for monitoring of rural facilities works and e-governance, and Swamitva program, which involves mapping of rural real estate and land holdings by means of technology including drones.
Interactive map of confirmed coronavirus cases in India
The main focus of the interaction, nevertheless, remained on the challenge posed by COVID-19 and how the Panchayati Raj institutions were dealing with it.