New Delhi: Flagging the issue of antibiotic resistance, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday urged people not to take such medicines without consulting a doctor.
In his monthly ‘Mann Ki Baat’ radio address, Modi said the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) recently released a report which said that antibiotics were proving ineffective against many diseases like pneumonia and UTI (Urinary Tract Infections). “This is a matter of great concern for all of us,” he said.
According to the report, Modi said, a major reason for this is people’s indiscriminate use of antibiotics. He said antibiotics are not medicines that can be taken mindlessly.
He said the medicines should be used only on the doctor’s advice.
“Nowadays, people have started believing that just taking a pill would cure all their problems. This is the reason diseases and infections are proving to be too strong for these antibiotics.
“I urge all of you to refrain from using medicines at your own discretion. This is especially important when it comes to antibiotics. I would simply say: Medicines require guidance, and antibiotics require doctors. This practice will prove to be very helpful in improving your health,” he said.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Modi on Sunday highlighted a Manipuri man’s effort to bring electricity to his remote village, describing how he found the solution in solar power that brought light to hundreds of houses in the area. Talking about Shriram Moirangthem in his monthly radio address ‘Mann Ki Baat’, Prime Minister Modi said the 40-year-old man has once again proved true the old saying ‘where there is a will, there is a way’ when he resolved the major electricity problem in his area in Manipur.
To overcome the challenge of ensuring a regular supply of electricity, Moirangthem focused on local solutions. “In our Manipur, it is anyway easy to generate solar energy. So, Moirangthem started a campaign to install solar panels and on account of this campaign, today solar power has reached hundreds of houses in his area,” the prime minister said.
Modi said the special thing is that Moirangthem has used solar power to improve health care and livelihood.
“Today, owing to his efforts, many health centres in Manipur are also getting solar power. The women of Manipur have also benefited a lot from this endeavour. Local fishermen and artists have also been helped through this,” he said.
The Prime Minister also talked about his government’s flagship programme to provide solar power to households. He said that under the ‘PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana’, the government is providing approximately Rs 75,000 to Rs 80,000 to each beneficiary family for installing solar panels.