New Delhi : The Centre on Saturday took into consideration the extension of lockdown due to the ongoing coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic, after holding a video conference with all the state chief ministers. During the meeting, most states requested PM Narendra Modi to extend the lockdown for two more weeks and the government is considering this request. The PM will take a final call soon. The ongoing lockdown is set to end on April 14.
After the meeting, PM Modi asserted that he has emphasized that to save the life of every citizen, lockdown and adherence to social distancing is very important. “Most of the people of the country understood this and stayed indoors and performed their duties. All of us followed this to save the lives of our countrymen. When every person in the country will follow government and administration guidelines our fight against the virus will be stronger,” said the PM.
PM Modi told the CMs that he is available round the clock. “I am always available. Any chief minister can speak to me and give suggestions (on COVID-19) anytime. We should stand together shoulder-to-shoulder,” PM Modi said during the meeting. He said that we all should stand together shoulder-to-shoulder in the fight against this disease.
Ten out of eleven chief ministers have called for extending the lockdown. During the meeting, the chief ministers of Delhi and Punjab suggested extension of the nationwide lockdown till April 30, which was backed by other CMs.
During the interaction, Punjab CM Amarinder Singh suggested extension of the national lockdown by at least a fortnight after April 14. According to Zee Media sources, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal also suggested extension of the lockdown till April 30.
The Chief Ministers of Delhi, West Bengal, Punjab, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Bihar, Chhatisgarh, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh suggested to PM that the lockdown should be extended. Political leaders like Mayawati and MK Stalin have also demanded extension in COVID-19 lockdown.
PM Modi, accompanied by some senior officials, including from the Union Health Ministry, was wearing a white mask during the meeting which was also attended by chief ministers – Mamata Banerjee (West Bengal), Uddhav Thackeray (Maharashtra), Yogi Adityanath (Uttar Pradesh), Manohar Lal (Haryana), K Chandrashekhar Rao (Telangana) and Nitish Kumar (Bihar).
Bureau Report
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