Coronavirus lockdown extension: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is all set to address the nation at 10 AM on Tuesday, April 14. The official twitter handle of the Prime Minister’s office has notified the PM’s address time. The ongoing nationwide lockdown which came into effect from the midnight of March 24 is set to end tomorrow. Therefore, all eyes are on tomorrow’s address to the nation by PM Narendra Modi. It is believed that PM Modi will share the government’s decision on the lockdown extension and an overall roadmap for the coming days to highlight India’s fight against the Covid-19 infection in the country.
When, where to watch live streaming of PM Narendra Modi’s speech on April 14
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s address will be telecasted live on public broadcasters including Doordarshan, Lok Sabha TV, Rajya Sabha TV. People can also watch PM’s address to the nation live on their smartphones as well. The live streaming of PM Modi’s address to the nation will be widely shown across social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook and YouTube via PM Modi’s official handles. Notably, the live streaming of PM Narendra Modi’s speech will begin at 10 AM on April 14. It is widely anticipated that the Prime Minister will discuss the way forward with regard to the lockdown extension and share insights on the roadmap ahead in the context of India’s fight against an unprecedented COVID-19 crisis.
The surge in the number of COVID-19 cases past the 9,000- mark along with 308 deaths across the country has made the exit strategy from lockdown a tricky task for the Narendra Modi-led central government.
Earlier on April 11, PM Modi had attended a four-hour meeting between state chief ministers and CMs reached on a broader consensus to extend the national lockdown post the prescheduled closing on April 14. A group of CMs had requested PM Modi to extend the lockdown at least until April 30. Soon after the meeting, Odisha became the first state to extend the statewide lockdown until April 30. Other states such as Punjab, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana and West Bengal, followed suit and extended the lockdown until May 1.
A statement from the Prime Minister’s Office after the meeting signalled a change in policy from saving lives a month ago to saving lives as well as livelihoods now. A statement issued by the PMO hinted that the PM Modi emphasized the change in government’s stand from ‘jaan hai to jahaan hai, to ‘jaan bhi jahaan bhi.”
Experts have weighed in on the subject of perfect strategy to make an exit from the ongoing lockdown. From continuing lockdown in cities and opening up rural areas to stop agriculture from further damage and boost procurement so that it can feed poor people amid these uncertain times to marking areas in different zones on the basis of the number of cases found from there, the government has all options on the table.
The Union Health Ministry in its daily briefing on Monday said that 25 districts across 15 states have not reported any new case in the last two weeks. The total number of Coronavirus infected cases in the country has surpassed the 9150 mark with 308 deaths.
PM Modi addressed the nation twice last month — on 19 March and 24 March. He had called for “resolution and restraint” on 19 March to combat the coronavirus pandemic. He had also announced March 22, a Sunday, a ‘Janata curfew.’
PM Modi had declared the 21-day nationwide lockdown on March 24 to test the virus spread. Modi had urged people to switch off the lights at their homes and light lamps, candles or cell phone torches for nine minutes at 9 pm on April 5 in a video message on April 3 to show the “collective determination” of the country to beat the coronavirus.
