Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday stressed the need for the country to become self-reliant and self-sufficient in all spheres, holding this up as the biggest message from the crisis posed by the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Hume aatma nirbhar banna hi padega (We have to become self-reliant),” Modi said during a videoconference with panchayat heads across the country to mark Panchayati Raj Day. During the session, the panchayat chiefs were effusive in their praise for the Prime Minister’s handling of the pandemic and appeared oblivious to the debilitating problems the lockdown was causing to the rural populace.

Modi said the pandemic had thrown up several unimagined challenges but at the same time taught an important lesson.

“The pandemic has taught us to become self-reliant and self-sufficient. We should not look outside to fulfil our needs,” he said. “Aatma nirbhar, aatma nirbhar, aatma nirbhar,” Modi repeated, adding that the lesson had been highlighted in the ancient civilisation and culture of India.

The Prime Minister launched two programmes to mark the day: E-Gram Swaraj, for monitoring of rural infrastructure works and governance; and Swamitva, which involves mapping of rural housing and land holdings through technology.

Modi said the two programmes would go a long way in making villages self-reliant.

Underlining the need for the country to become self-reliant is not a new call from the Sangh parivaar; the RSS, the BJP’s ideological parent, has been repeatedly harping on a “swadeshi (indigenous)” economic model while being critical of globalisation.

What, however, is significant is that the Sangh parivaar has been flagging it in the midst of the Covid-19 crisis, claiming that the “failure of both capitalist and statist models of globalisation” had presented a “unique opportunity” for India to think out of the box and push the “Bharatiya model of inclusive and sustainable development”.

Modi seemed to be projecting the same idea on Friday, underlining that the virus crisis had come as an opportunity for India to realise its inherent strengths and capitalise on them.

“Despite its limited resources, the people of India have taken up the challenge posed by the pandemic head on with the resolve to move forward,” he said.

Modi applauded the people in rural areas for adhering to lockdown rules and said it was because of them that the entire world was talking about how India had responded to the Covid-19 crisis. He told the panchayat heads to highlight the need for social distancing, saying “do gaz ki doori (two yards apart)” was needed to defeat the virus.

Interacting with the Prime Minister, the panchayat heads claimed that all lockdown rules were being followed in their areas and flagged no problem at all on the ground, contrary to reports of acute distress across the country because of the restrictions.

The sarpanches, or panchayat heads, appeared too keen to hail Modi and the schemes of the government. “People tell us what would have happened to the country in this crisis if we didn’t have a Prime Minister like you,” one sarpanch said.

Perhaps to showcase that all was well in Kashmir, the first panchayat head to interact with Modi was one Mohammad Iqbal from Baramulla.