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Vice President Venkaiah Naidu, PM Modi to interact with governors over Covid-19 surge
The meeting which comes amid the spurt in daily cases in India, is the first direct interaction between the governors and the Prime Minister.
Vice President Venkaiah Naidu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Wednesday interact with governors and Lieutenant governors of all states and union territories to review the Covid-19 situation in the country. This is the first meeting of this kind during the coronavirus disease pandemic and has been convened amid the Centre looking to push for stronger adherence to the pandemic protocols among citizens across the country.
The meeting which comes amid the spurt in daily cases in India, is the first direct interaction between the governors and the Prime Minister. Before this, PM Modi has held a meeting with chief ministers of various states and UTs on April 8 over the resurgence of Covid-19 in the country and to discuss vaccination strategy.
In the March 8 meeting, PM Modi asked the chief ministers to make the "maximum use" of the offices of governors, saying the move will send a positive message and help bring people from different walks of life together. "Under the leadership of the governor and under the guidance of the chief minister, all states should at least hold all-party meetings and firm up actionable points. This is my request that the governor and the chief ministers should together hold virtual webinars with all the elected representatives," said PM Modi during his virtual interaction with chief ministers.
"It should start with urban bodies and then rural bodies. The webinars should be with all the elected people. It will send a positive message that it should not be politicised and all of us have to do it together," he added.
Last year, in March, President Ram Nath Kovind interacted with governors soon after the Covid-19 breakout in the country. He had asked governors to mobilise voluntary and religious organisations to aid the effort to contain the spread of coronavirus.
Meanwhile, the Covid-19 caseload in the country climbed to 13,689,453 as the country continues to record cases in never seen before numbers. On Tuesday, 161,736 people found to be positive of Covid-19 in a span of 24 hours.
In the wake of the Covid-19 surge, several states have brought back stringent restrictions in the states to check the spread. On Tuesday, Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray ordered a partial lockdown in the state under which all non-essential activities has been curbed. He also ordered imposition of Section 144 which restricts the movement of people in groups.
National capital Delhi is also under night curfew along with various other curbs.
