Lockdown in India extended till May 3

Area-wise review and relaxations after April 20: PM says in address to nation

GN Bureau | April 14, 2020


#lockdown   #healthcare   #narendra modi   #prime minister   #epidemic   #coronavirus   #COVID-19  


As the 21-day lockdown comes to an end on Tuesday, prime minister Narendra Modi announced that the restrictions meant to stop the spread of the Covid-19 virus were now extended till May 3, following consultations with various stakeholders including the state chief ministers.

In his close to half an hour long address to the nation, Modi said that several states had already gone ahead and extended the lockdown. While India had fared far better in comparison to many developed countries in fighting the Novel Coronavirus, more efforts were needed, he said, and the lockdown was necessary for more days.

He complimented people of India for the exemplary patience in this battle and for the hardships they have suffered in saving the country from the scourge of the virus. Modi spoke of the “holistic and integrated” measures the government had well ahead in time, but for which it would be difficult to imagine the spread of the virus in the country by now. 

He added that a review will be undertaken after April 20 and the places following lockdown instructions effectively would be given relaxations, especially keeping in mind daily wagers. Such relaxations, however, would be conditional.

He urged people to be extra sympathetic to the needs of the poor, even as he said the government had made all possible efforts to meet the needs of the marginalized and the daily wagers. Since this is the season for Rabi crop, he said states were making best efforts to help the farmers in this crucial period.

The PM also assured the people that supply chains of the essential items were running well, and the health infrastructure was being augmented.

Giving seven-point instructions, he requested people to take care of the elderly, take holistic precautions and download the Arogya Setu mobile phone app developed by the government for guidance. He urged employers not to sack employees.

Noting that these are the days of various festivals in many parts of India, he noted that people had chosen to celebrate them keeping social-distancing restrictions in mind. The PM also noted that Tuesday was the birth anniversary of Dr BR Ambedkar, the chief architect of the Constitution and paid tribute to him on behalf of the nation.


 

Comments

 

Other News

MoEFCC and CAQM launch ‘The Breath of Change’

To tackle air pollution in Delhi-NCR through public participation and creative engagement, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) and the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) have jointly launched a strategic communication campaign titled The Breath of Change.

India well on way to becoming a global IP powerhouse

Intellectual Property (IP) has evolved into a critical component of innovation and global competitiveness in India’s economy. As businesses pivot toward intangible assets like data, algorithms and branding, IP protection is no longer a matter of formality—it is a strategic imperative. The last

War and Peace: The conundrum of conflict in West Asia

Israel and Palestine have been the harbinger of troubles for the last 80-odd years. It is an unending and persistent saga of conflict and attrition which has bloodied the political, societal and economic turf in West Asia for long. The scale of wars, which were more than skirmishes of the day, ranged from

Trump’s tariff ploy sparks resistance from Global South

In the history of BRICS, never has any joint statement issued after a leader-level summit contained any remarks—directly or indirectly, against the US. However, for the first time, during the 17th summit of BRICS in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, leaders voiced their concern about America’s impositi

How India can become a $30 tn economy by 2047: A blueprint

Viksit Bharat: India @2047  By Aditya Pittie Fingerprint Publishing This timely and meticulously

The saga of a language family that has shaped the world

Proto: How One Ancient Language Went Global By Laura Spinney Distributed in India by HarperCollins India, 352 pages, Rs 599

Visionary Talk: Amitabh Gupta, Pune Police Commissioner with Kailashnath Adhikari, MD, Governance Now





Archives

Current Issue

Opinion

Facebook Twitter Google Plus Linkedin Subscribe Newsletter

Twitter