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PM takes stock of preparedness, asks BJP MPs to create awareness
NEW DELHI: At the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) parliamentary party meeting on Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi took stock of the preparations to combat and
NEW DELHI: At the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) parliamentary party meeting on Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi took stock of the preparations to combat and curtail the spread of the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) and urged party MPs to create awareness about the virus.
According to people aware of the details, the PM ruled out cutting short the ongoing Budget session of Parliament and said MPs should be doing their bit to help people when a huge health crisis looms.
The PM called for appreciating the work done by frontline workers, including medical staff , airport employees and the media in creating awareness about the coronavirus pandemic and how to prevent its spread.
“He told MPs to take the lead by spreading information about the spread of the virus and what precautions to take. All MPs have been told to talk to people in their constituencies about the prevention (preventive steps) necessary for curtailing the spread of the virus,” said a person aware of the details, requesting anonymity.
A second person aware of details said the issue of cutting short the ongoing session of Parliament also came up.
“It was decided that Parliament will function till April 3, as was scheduled. There is a need to be careful but not to spread panic. So while all precautions will be taken in Parliament complex, the house proceedings will go on,” the second person said, also requesting anonymity.
At the meeting, Union health minister Dr Harsh Vardhan gave a presentation about the efforts being undertaken to contain the spread of the virus and the arrangements being made to scale up testing facilities and medical care.
Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman also gave a presentation and assured MPs that the Yes Bank crisis will be resolved in the next 24 hours, said a third functionary.
