Indore, Jan 20 (PTI) Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Thursday said due to the combined efforts of the Centre, state governments and also the society, the coronavirus pandemic has been controlled to a larger extent and noted that administering more than 160 crore vaccine doses was a major achievement for the country. He said India has done better than many other countries when it comes to handling the pandemic. “In many countries, a large number of people died due to COVID-19, but in India, because of the combined efforts made by the Centre and state governments along with the society, the pandemic has been brought under control to a larger extent,” Birla told reporters here. He said administering over 160 crore doses of coronavirus vaccines under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi was a major achievement and the milestone has been praised by many countries in the world. Birla appealed to people to strictly follow guidelines related to the prevention of COVID-19 so that the pandemic can be defeated. The Lok Sabha Speaker arrived here on a private visit and offered prayers at Pitreshwar Hanuman Temple and also met his predecessor Sumitra Mahajan at her residence. Birla said Mahajan"s working style when she was the Lok Sabha Speaker (2014 to 2019) had raised the stature of the Lower House of Parliament. He insisted that in order to strengthen democracy, it is necessary for everyone to work together for maintaining the dignity of Parliament. PTI HWP MAS RSY RSY