A day after India placed 80 districts under lockdown, the Prime Minister of India has expressed dissatisfaction over the fact that lot of people are still not taking the lockdown seriously.
Sharing his thoughts of twitter, Modi tweeted, “लॉकडाउन को अभी भी कई लोग गंभीरता से नहीं ले रहे हैं। कृपया करके अपने आप को बचाएं, अपने परिवार को बचाएं, निर्देशों का गंभीरता से पालन करें। राज्य सरकारों से मेरा अनुरोध है कि वो नियमों और कानूनों का पालन करवाएं।“
Modi also called on the State Governments to ensure that lockdowns are properly followed to contain the spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19) which has so far killed 7 people in India and has infected 415 people.
Any person disobeying any regulation or order shall be deemed to have committed an offence punishable under section 188 of the Indian Penal Code, which can lead to a jail term of 6 months, a fine of Rs. 1,000/- or both.
Besides, Modi also interacted with the heads of all the leading media houses, through video conferencing today. During the interaction, Modi urged the media houses to create more awareness on COVID-19 and how lockdown will help in holding back the outbreak. The Government of India has also constituted a High-Level Technical Committee of public health experts to guide the prevention and control of outbreak. The committee is headed by Dr. V.K. Paul (Member, NITI Aayog) and has 21 members.
Separately, the Lok Sabha has been adjourned sine dine after it passed the Finance Bill 2020. The bill was passed without discussion due to extraordinary situation of COVID-19 prevailing in the country. The Finance Minister of India – Nirmala Sitharaman has said that expenses incurred by corporate world in creating awareness and combating COVID-19 would be considered as CSR activity.
Sitharaman wrote on twitter, “In view of the spread of novel #CoronaVirus in India, its declaration as pandemic by the WHO, and decision of Government of India to treat this as notified disaster, it is hereby clarified that spending of CSR funds for COVID-19 is eligible CSR activity. #IndiaFightCorona”
Besides, the Chief Minister of Rajasthan – Ashok Gehlot has ordered all ministers in his Government to donate Rs. 1 lakh each to the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund to help the State’s fight the coronavirus. The Ahmedabad newspaper vendor association has decided to suspend its services till March 31, 2020. The Telangana State Government has asked all shops and establishments to make footmarks in their shops to ensure a distance of 4 feet between customers standing in queue. Shops have also been asked to provide hand sanitizers for customers. The Chief Minister of Karnataka – B.S. Yediyurappa has ordered authorities to set up fever clinics in Bengaluru. Private hospitals have also been asked to hand over 100 ventilators to the Government.
The Chief Minister of West Bengal – Mamata Banerjee has written a letter to Modi seeking permission to stop flights from landing in Kolkata with immediate effect. The Chief Minister of Punjab – Captain Amarinder Singh has directed all District Collectors and SDMs to provide food, shelter and medicines to those in need. An amount of Rs. 20 crores has been sanctioned from the CM’s fund for this purpose.
Making the announcement, he tweeted, “I have directed the provision of free food, shelter & medicines for those in need & 20 Cr has been sanctioned out of CM relief fund for same. Additionally, DCs & SDMs have been asked to extend all assistance to those in need.”
The women staging protest against Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of citizens (NRC) at Morlan Road in Mumbai and at Ghanta Ghar in Lucknow have temporarily suspended the sit-in due to COIVD-19.
