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All-party meeting today to review Covid situation in UP
LUCKNOW The government and the opposition will be meeting in the Raj Bhawan at 5pm on Sunday in the backdrop of UP’s steep Covid surge
LUCKNOW The government and the opposition will be meeting in the Raj Bhawan at 5pm on Sunday in the backdrop of UP’s steep Covid surge.
The first-ever all-party meeting has been convened to discuss measures to combat the Covid surge and boost the vaccination drive in the state. It will be attended by Governor Anandiiben Patel, chief minister Yogi Adityanath, his cabinet colleagues and senior opposition leaders, who were sent an invite late on Friday night.
UP reported a single-day spike of 12,787 fresh Covid cases and 48 more deaths while Lucknow logged 4,059 new cases in the last 24 hours.
“Governor Anandiben Patel and chief minister Yogi Adityanath will meet leaders of different political parties who are being invited to the Raj Bhawan for a meeting at 5pm on Sunday,” said a senior officer. The department of parliamentary affairs had sent the invites to leaders of major political parties.
The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) was the first to respond to the invite. BSP legislative party leader Lalji Verma would be attending the meeting.
“Behenji has asked me to attend the all-party meet at the Raj Bhawan and I will be there to give concrete suggestions to meet the challenge,” Verma said.
BSP chief Mayawati had been repeatedly expressing concern over the Covid surge in UP. She was also among the first few opposition leaders to take the Covid jab.
UP BJP president Swatantra Dev Singh said he would attend the all-party meeting on Sunday.
Leader of opposition Ram Govind Chaudhary and UPCC president Ajay Kumar ‘Lallu’ were waiting for the invite till late night though Congress Legislature Party leader Aradhna Mishra confirmed she had received the invite.
Mishra said she may not be able to attend the meeting due to her engagements relating to panchayat elections. “We will try to depute someone to attend the meeting,” said Mishra.
Samajwadi Party state president Naresh Uttam Patel said: “The party did not get any invitation. So why think about it.”
Meanwhile, chief Minister Yogi Aditaynath reviewed the Covid situation in Gorakhpur and said, “Night curfew was extended to Ballia following spike in cases. Entry of pilgrims in the sanctum sanctorum of Kashi Vishwanath temple was also stopped.”
The CM also met governor Anandiben Patel at Raj Bhawan on Saturday. An official spokesman described the meeting as a “courtesy call.”
“The number of active cases in UP is 58,801, of which 32,900 are in home isolation and 991 are admitted to private hospitals. The remaining are in government Covid facilities,” said Amit Mohan Prasad, additional chief secretary, medical health, in a press conference.
During the day, Lucknow reported 4,059 cases, Prayagraj 1,460, Kanpur 706, Ghaziabad 159, Gautam Buddh Nagar 229, Varanasi 983, Meerut 236, Gorakhpur 422, Jhansi 235, Agra 104, Bareilly 144, Ballia 188 and Barabanki 139.
“The cases are rising and it is important to adhere to Covid protocol. In some districts special measures have been taken,” said Prasad.
Among the 48 deaths, the highest in one day this year - 23 were from Lucknow, 6 from Kanpur, 2 each from Prayagraj, Varanasi, Mujaffarnagar, and Kushinagar.
