NEW DELHI :”When Government of India has opened almost everything including opening of land borders, starting trains and opening airports, then what is the point in continuing with further lockdown,” West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee asked PM Modi during the virtual PM-CMs meet.
Mamata alleges that the Centre is discriminating against the state even amid a pandemic. “We are faced with several hardships being a border state. Even then we are making our best efforts and will continue to do so.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi met the states’ chief ministers on Monday to discuss the road ahead. This was the fifth such meeting between PM Modi and chief ministers since the outbreak emerged.
“Slowly but surely, economic activities have begun to pick up in several parts of the country. In coming days, this process will further gather steam. We must realize that fight against Covid-19 has to be more focused now.
PM Modi told CMs that India will have to devise and implement a “balanced strategy” to deal with the coronavirus pandemic, and the biggest challenge for the country will be to ensure that the infection does not spread to villages.
Going forward, the road ahead should be focused on reducing the spread and ensuring that all precautions are taken by people including social distancing norms by observing ‘Do Gaj Doori’ (six-feet distance),” Modi further said. He urged the CMs to ensure that rural India remains free from the pandemic.
Chief ministers of several states asked PM Modi to let them play a bigger role in handling the coronavirus crisis by forming and changing lockdown guidelines for their states as they are more aware of the situation. Among those pitching for more freedom to decide the response to the virus were Kerala, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh and Odisha.
The chief ministers of at least three states Telangana, Tamil Nadu and Chhattisgarh also opposed the resumption of train services from Tuesday , warning that it would make it harder to identify, isolate and test suspected Covid-19 cases and could lead to chaos in the state.
Economic activities should be allowed in Delhi except in containment zones, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said PM Modi.
Speaking at PM Modi’s fifth consultation with Chief Ministers on Monday, Kejriwal called for lifting more curbs in Delhi – all of which has been designated a “Red Zone” to suggest a high-concentration of cases. Delhi has registered around 7,000 coronavirus cases including 73 deaths.
Andhra Pradesh CM Jaganmohan Reddy seeks relaxation of lockdown measures, with strict adherence of personal hygiene protocols. “We need to prepare people to live with coronavirus till vaccine is ready,” says Reddy.
Gujarat wants lockdown only in the containment zones. Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Bhagel seeks permission from Centre to allow states to define red, orange and green zones. “State governments should get the right to take decisions on handling of economic activities within their states,” Baghel said.
Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao has urged Prime Modi not to resume the passenger train services, which were stopped as part of preventive measures to contain the spread of coronavirus in the country
India saw the biggest single-day spike in the number of coronavirus patients with 4,213 new cases and 97 deaths in 24 hours, taking the total to 67,152 cases, the Union Health Ministry said today, adding that the death toll rose to 2,206.
Coronavirus cases in Chennai, meanwhile, continued to surge as 538 cases were recorded in the last 24 hours, the biggest daily increase for the second today in a row. The city had registered 509 cases on Sunday. Tamil Nadu’s single-day case tally also increased by a record high of 798 as the total infections crossed 8,000.
(With Agency Inputs ).

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