More on Covid-19

NEW DELHI: Emphasising that the world will require new business models in the wake of the devastation wreaked by coronavirus , PM Narendra Modi on Sunday called upon the country's youth to summon their spirit of innovation to come up with solutions for the post-pandemic world. He said the world was in pursuit of new business models and India could take the lead.Modi also emphasised that the the virus did not discriminate between people on the basis of faith, community, race or nationality.“India, with the right blend of the physical and the virtual, can emerge as the global nerve centre of complex modern multinational supply chains in the post Covid-19 world. Let us rise to that occasion and seize this opportunity. I urge you all to think about this and contribute to the discourse,” the PM urged the youth. The shift from BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) to WFH (Work From Home) brought new challenges to balance the official and personal, he wrote on Linkedin , the social media platform for professionals.Citing examples of optimisation of technology under his government to tackle corruption and smoothen the delivery of welfare benefits, Modi said India could take the lead in helping the world transition to the the “work-from-home” era. “The need of the hour is to think of business and lifestyle models that are easily adaptable. Doing so would mean that even in a time of crisis, our offices, businesses and commerce could get moving faster, ensuring loss of life does not occur. As the world battles Covid-19, India’s energetic and innovative youth can show the way in ensuring a healthier and prosperous future," Modi said.He listed what, according to him, could be the five defining features of business and work culture in the post-pandemic world. “I call them vowels of the new normal because like vowels in the English language, these would become essential ingredients of any business model in the post-Covid world — Adaptability (business and lifestyle models that are easily adaptable), Efficiency (re-imagining what we refer to as being efficient), Inclusivity (that attaches primacy to care for the poor, the most vulnerable as well as our planet), Opportunity(every crisis brings with it an opportunity), and Universalism (the virus does not see race, religion, colour, caste, creed, language or border before striking),” he said.Modi said the next big ideas from India should find global relevance and application and should have the potential to drive changes globally.Emphasising on the need for unity in the fight against the virus, he said, "Our response and conduct thereafter should attach primacy to unity and brotherhood. We are in this together. Unlike previous moments in history, when countries or societies faced off each against each other, today we together facing a common challenge. The future will be about togetherness and resilience."