An emotionally integrated India offers the best defence against both internal and external threats and challenges As we move closer to celebrate the 75 years of our independence, our motto should be — perform or perish. This applies to all individuals and institutions. Realise your strength, build on them and create a united, prosperous India.

Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has announced the ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan’ (Self-reliant India Movement) on May 12, 2020 with a special economic & comprehensive package of Rs 20 lakh crores which was aimed towards achieving the mission. The Mission focuses on the importance of promoting local products. The mission is also expected to complement “Make in India” initiative which intends to encourage manufacturing in India including agriculture sector which have a great potential. Agriculture plays a very crucial role in Aatmanirbhar Bharat.

Ministry of Women & Child Development, Government of India in collaboration with Team MyGov organized the Nari Shakti Quiz competition on MyGov platform in the run up to the Nari Shakti Puraskar (NSP) given away on the International Women’s Day on 8th March, 2020. The format for competition was designed by MyGov and the Quiz was organized from 5th March to 31st March, 2020.

The National Project Management Unit, Atal Bhujal Yojana, Department of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation, Ministry of Jal Shakti, Government of India had organized a Logo Design Contest for Atal Bhujal Yojana (Atal Jal) in the month of May-June, 2020 with theme on Community-led Ground Water Management.

The flagship challenge of Atal Innovation Mission, the Atal Tinkering Lab (ATL) Marathon 2019 was launched on Children’s Day, 14th November 2019. This six month long competition was unique as it was designed by the students for the students. The most pressing problem faced by the youth within their schools and community was highlighted and participant students came out with interesting and exhaustive innovations to find a solution for it.

Shhhh! It is a fresh tiger kill! There should be tiger nearby…. The team of tiger trackers and the Range Officer talk in hushed tones after coming upon the Sambhar carcass. They look for the Tiger’s pugmarks in the sands beside the tall grasses on the banks of the river. “Angad ka pugmark hai. Size dekhiye (It is Angad’s pugmark. Look at the size),” the tiger tracker explains.

Meet Kapil and family- One in Lucknow and the other in Aligarh; both families who fought more than a Virus. Kapil, a data scientist from Lucknow, was travelling back to attend the funeral of his grandma on 3rd May. Unexpectedly, Kapil’s uncle and dad got a fever. Everyone in the house started showing specific symptoms and health instability. To their dismay, Kapil’s uncle was admitted to the ICU while his dad got a high fever. The next day, Kapil’s family got a call about his uncle’s demise!

Dr Parul, a physician working in London came back to India in the second week of March, along with her mother. She landed in Delhi to reach Chandigarh. Meanwhile, I developed a fever on the way. Since being herself a doctor, intuitively, she sensed that this could be COVID-19 and went straight to the hospital. The hospital hadn’t handled any positive case of COVID-19 yet, and these were early times of the pandemic in India. So, the doctors were extremely skeptical. But they finally relented and admitted her at their quarantine center.

On March 29, Piyush got admitted to the hospital and got discharged by April 12. His happiness of going back to his family was short-lived, however. After coming back from the care centre, he quarantined at home for 14 days. “When you are locked inside the room for quarantine, I had lost touch with the outer world,” he says about his home quarantine experience.

Meet Dhaval Parekh, the Final Year Resident doctor of BJ Medical College, Ahmedabad fighting on the frontline. Dhaval was called for contact tracing of patients as part of the government initiative. The young doctor studying at BJ Medical College, Ahmedabad immediately joined the force to volunteer. Though his line of work did not entail patient contact, one day he developed fever, followed with a change of taste, weakness and diarrhoea. Dhaval tested positive for Coronavirus.