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FM announcement was just a relief package, a stimulus package will be announced soon: NITI Aayog Vice-Chairman Rajiv Kumar

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FM announcement was just a relief package, a stimulus package will be announced soon: NITI Aayog Vice-Chairman Rajiv Kumar

Hours after Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced a relief package to the country to help fight the Chinese epidemic COVID-19 yesterday, NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Rajiv Kumar stated that it was just a welfare package and a comprehensive stimulus package is yet to be announced by the Modi government.

Speaking to India Today, NITI Aayog Vice-Chairman Rajiv Kumar said that the Modi government is likely to announce more measures that will have a wider impact on economic activity, and also address liquidity issues in the economy.

Commenting on the relief package announced by the Finance Minister, Kumar said that it was a fairly substantial welfare package given by the government to protect the poor, vulnerable who are likely to be most affected during the lockdown due to loss of livelihood opportunities.

Reportedly, Kumar also stated that the relief package for the marginalised announced by the Modi government on Thursday established the government’s priority in taking care of people who are most affected by the crisis.

“Subsequent packages will follow, focussing on how to prevent a wider impact in economic activity, so liquidity is addressed, and this situation does not lead to insolvency and bankruptcy,” Kumar said. “This is the highest priority of the government right now,” he added.

However, Rajiv Kumar also expressed his apprehensions about Gross Domestic Product growth likely being impacted in the next fiscal due to zero economic activity right at the beginning of the fiscal.

“In the next quarter, we will be lucky if we get a zero-growth rate. But it (GDP growth) could be even in negative. The overall growth rate for the financial year, however, will not go below 3-3.5 per cent. It’s too early to say anything because there are many factors that remain unknown,” Rajiv Kumar said.

He also added that the lockdown is an absolute necessity to “break the chain” and contain further spread of the deadly coronavirus. “We are hopeful that the number of new cases will fall and things will return towards normalcy. I am hopeful that three weeks would be enough for the Indian economy to bounce back,” he added.

Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday unveiled a Rs 1.7 lakh crore economic relief package to help the poor and marginalised. Her announcement came as 21-day nationwide lockdown began on Wednesday to curb the spread of highly contagious illness.

“No one will go hungry”, the Finance Minister had said, announcing relief under the Rs 1,75,000-crore package, dubbed as “Prime Minister Gareeb Kalyan scheme”. The central government’s immediate focus is on alleviating the hardships of the migrant workers, urban and rural poor, she had added. The government also announced a special Rs 50 lakh medical insurance cover to the frontline workers toiling to avert the crisis. 

45-year-old Dubai returned Kerala man tests positive for Wuhan Coronavirus despite showing no symptoms

OpIndia Staff
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45-year-old Dubai returned Kerala man tests positive for Wuhan Coronavirus despite showing no symptoms

On Wednesday, a 45-year-old man from Adoor in Pathanamthitta district of Kerala, with recent travel history to Dubai, had tested positive for the deadly Wuhan Coronavirus. Reportedly, he had shown no symptoms of the disease.

The man was kept under observation at his home. He had travelled to Thiruvantapuram via Bangalore from Dubai. The district administration is now tracking people who might have come in contact with the infected patient. The case has now added to the woes of the district health authorities amidst growing demand for collecting samples from 7,361 people currently under home quarantine in the wake of Coronavirus outbreak.

District Collector PB Nooh said, “This person had never developed any symptoms, including fever or cough. But, his samples were taken since there were widespread complaints that he was defying quarantine guidelines and was moving around. It was a surprise when he tested positive.”

Dr Amar Fettle, State Nodal Officer for Infectious Diseases, clarified, “In this case, there might have been some mild symptoms or he might have taken some drug for fever. All these might have suppressed the symptoms.”To diffuse the situation, the Health authorities had sent a few random samples of people under observation at their homes for testing. Many were found to have tested negative for the deadly pathogen.

In India, the coronavirus outbreak reached later than several other countries. The first case in India was reported on the 30th of January. The first case came from Kerala of a student who was studying at the Wuhan University. Since then, the pandemic has grown manyfold. As of today, in India, there have been 724 positive cases of the Wuhan Coronavirus, including 66 cured and 17 dead.

Now, the data from Covid19IndiaOrg analysed by Dr Anupam Singh, a doctor of internal medicine and dabbles in public health data science, has revealed that out of the several cases in India, 300+ cases are of those who had a travel history abroad and out of those 300 cases, 142 positive cases (roughly 50%) in India were of those who had returned from the Middle East. One can also see from Dr Singh’s research how in India, one person who does local transmission ends up spreading the infection to anywhere between 2 to 2.7 people on average.

Coronavirus lockdown: After popular demand, DD National to air ‘Ramayan’ twice a day from 28 March

OpIndia Staff
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Coronavirus lockdown: After popular demand, DD National to air ‘Ramayan’ twice a day from 28 March

On Friday, Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting (IB) had informed that Ramanand Sagar’s iconic show based on Hindu Epic Ramayan will be retelecasted on DD National twice a day from March 28 in the wake of Wuhan coronavirus lockdown. One episode of the show will air in the morning between 9 am to 10 am while the other will be broadcast at night between 9 pm to 10 pm.

Ramayan, which featured Arun Govil as Shri Ram, Deepika Chikhalia as Maa Sita and Sunil Lahri as Brother Lakshman, recently completed 33 years since it was first aired. When the trio appeared on the comedy programme, The Kapil Sharma Show, they had received an overwhelming response from the viewers.

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Earlier, Prasar Bharati CEO Shashi Shekhar had tweeted that the team was in talks with the rights Holders of the show and were working out on technical and logistics issues.

Growing up in the 80s and the 90s, one of the fondest memories is of watching Ramanand Sagar’s Ramayan on Doordarshan. The roads would go empty as the nation saw Arun Govil as Lord Ram. The iPad generation will now know how it was growing up back in the day when the Internet didn’t rule our lives. Now that the streets have gone empty again, thanks to the Chinese Wuhan Coronavirus, the public broadcaster has decided to bring back the epic on the small screen.

Banks allowed to defer EMIs by 3 months, cut in repo rate, liquidity injection of Rs 3.74 lakh crores: Highlights of the RBI Governor’s press conference

OpIndia Staff
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Banks allowed to defer EMIs by 3 months, cut in repo rate, liquidity injection of Rs 3.74 lakh crores: Highlights of the RBI Governor’s press conference

Speaking to the media on the unprecedented situation across the country due to the Chinese epidemic, RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das on Friday announced a massive 75 basis points cut in repo rates to 4.4 per cent as a measure to counter the economic slowdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The reverse repo rate has been cut by 90 basis points to 4 per cent. Governor Das said this has been done to make it unattractive for banks to passively deposit funds with the RBI and instead lend it to the productive sectors.

Addressing the media, Das said that the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) has decided to advance its meeting to this week and undertook a careful evaluation of macroeconomic and financial conditions.

Governor Das added that MPC voted for a sizable reduction in repo rate and has decided to maintain an accommodative stance. There were some differences in the quantum of reduction and MPC voted by 4:2 majority to reduce policy repo rate by 75 bps to 4.4 per cent, he added.

Liquidity Adjustment Ratio (LAF) has been cut by 90 bps to 4 per cent and Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) cut by 100 bps to 3% of NTDL with effect from March 28, 2020, the Governor added.

“India has locked down economic activity. Keeping finance flowing is the paramount objective of the RBI. Financial activity is under severe stress,” the RBI Governor noted.

Shaktikanta Das also added that the central bank has taken several measures to inject substantial liquidity into the system. He added that the priority is to undertake strong and purposeful action to protect domestic economy. He also urged all the stakeholders to fight against the pandemic and asked banks to do all they can to keep credit flowing.

RBI Governor also added that the economic outlook is highly uncertain and negative.

“Appropriate that MPC decisions and other RBI actions must be seen as a comprehensive package with force multipliers. The first measures are to expand liquidity in the system. Strong fiscal steps necessary to deal with the situation, steps to enforce monetary transmissions and efforts to ease financial stress caused by COVID-19,” the Governor added.

Addressing the effect of the coronavirus on markets, the RBI Governor said that the large sell-offs in markets have intensified pressure on the economic system an RBI will conduct auctions of long term repo operation (LTRO) of three-year tenure up to Rs 1 lakh crore at a floating rate linked to the policy rate.

According to the RBI, these measures will result in total liquidity injection of Rs 3.74 lakh crore to the system.

The most important notification put out by the RBI on Friday was that all commercial banks have been allowed to grant a three-month moratorium on payment of instalments for all loans outstanding on March 1, 2020. Similarly, banks are also permitted to defer interest payment on working capitals by 3 months. These measures have been put in place to mitigate debt servicing burden to prevent transmission of financial stress to the real economy, provide relief to borrowers.

“All banks, lending institutions may allow a three-month moratorium on all loans,” said RBI Governor.

He added, “Lending companies, banks are allowed to defer interest on working capital repayments by three months. Banks may also reassess the working capital cycle and will not be treated as non-performing assets”.

RBI Governor Das also assured that the Indian banking sector is safe and sound. He added that the depositors of commercial banks including private banks need not worry about the safety of their funds. RBI has injected liquidity of Rs 2.8 lakh crore through various instruments equal to 1.4 per cent of the GDP, the Governor added.

“Along with today’s measures liquidity measures equal to 3.2% of GDP. RBI will take continuous measures to ensure liquidity in the system,” Shaktikanta Das added.

The central bank also added that the depositors should not resort to the panic withdrawal of their deposits. The Governor urged the depositors in private banks to not indulge in panic withdrawal.

“The macros are stronger than what it was post the financial crisis, the fiscal deficit and CAD is much lower and inflation conditions are benign. I remain optimistic despite current challenges. COVID-19 is upon us but this to shall pass. Stay clean, stay safe and go digital,” he added.

The RBI Governor’s press conference comes a day after Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had unveiled a Rs 1.75 lakh-crore welfare stimulus package to the country. Her announcement came as 21-day nationwide lockdown began on Wednesday to curb the spread of highly contagious illness.

“No one will go hungry”, the Finance Minister had said, announcing relief under the Rs 1,75,000-crore package, dubbed as “Prime Minister Gareeb Kalyan scheme”.

The central government’s immediate focus is on alleviating the hardships of the migrant workers, urban and rural poor, she had added. The relief measures announced had included direct cash transfers (under the DBT or Direct Benefit Transfer scheme) and food security-related steps aimed at giving relief to the poor workers hit by the countrywide lockdown.

The government also announced a special Rs 50 lakh medical insurance cover to the frontline workers toiling to avert the crisis. “With a deep sense of gratitude, I announce that all medical staff, Aasha workers, paramedics, doctors and nurses, will get this insurance,” Finance Minister Sitharaman had said, quoting Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s reference to them as “Gods in white”.

Watch: Former Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Akhtar ‘praises’ doctors and nurses fighting coronavirus, says they are doing ‘Jihad’

OpIndia Staff
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Watch: Former Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Akhtar ‘praises’ doctors and nurses fighting coronavirus, says they are doing ‘Jihad’

Former Pakistan cricketer Shoaib Akhtar, who has been lately making videos on Chinese coronavirus, has declared that the work of all the doctors who are fighting the Chinese pandemic is doing nothing short of ‘Jihad’.

Shoaib Akhtar took to his YouTube channel on Thursday to express his gratitude to the frontline health workers across the world who have risked their lives to limit the spread of the Chinese pandemic COVID-19. Akhtar also urged the people to express their gratitude by hosting a white flag on top of their houses on Friday.

“We should salute our sisters, nurses, paramedics and all the health workers for the service they have rendered. As today is the day of ‘Jummah’ (weekly Friday prayers), we shall hoist white flags on top of our houses to express our gratitude to these people,” said the former Pakistan fast bowler.

Akhtar also praised the health workers for risking their lives. “We stand in solidarity with you. You are not alone in this war. You have sacrificed yourself on the line of duty. I salute you,” he added.

However, Akhtar called the noble work of saving lives as ‘Jihad’, or Islamic religious war.

“What you are doing is nothing less than ‘Jihad’, you are fighting to save humanity. The doctors who are fighting to save people across the world are following the real principles of ‘Jihad’,” said Shoaib Akhtar as he indirectly referred doctors as ‘Mujahid’ – the Arabic word for Jihadists.

Just a week back, Shoaib Akhtar had shared another video slamming the Chinese. Akhtar had taken to his YouTube channel to question the Chinese for eating ‘non-halal’ animals like bats and then spreading the virus across the globe.

“When Allah has given so many halal animals, why eat bats and spread the virus?”, Shoaib Akhtar had questioned Chinese for their food behaviour which is largely being held responsible for the Chinese COVID-19 pandemic.

Shoaib Akhtar had also stoked a controversy after he had compared coronavirus related preventive lockdown to the curfew in Kashmir for internal security reasons.

The number of coronavirus patients in Pakistan has reached to 1,179, according to the latest official data. It is reported that at least 8 people have died due to Chinese Coronavirus in Pakistan.

Covidiots: Jalgaon man makes video riding a bike around town during the coronavirus lockdown, gets arrested

OpIndia Staff
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Covidiots: Jalgaon man makes video riding a bike around town during the coronavirus lockdown, gets arrested

A man in Maharashtra’s Jalgaon was arrested by the police for defying curfew orders. He was reportedly shooting a video of himself riding a bike during the lockdown.

The man’s video had gone viral on social media where he was seen riding a bike without a helmet, shooting the video with one hand while a child, the man’s son as per the video, was seen riding pillion, holding a bunch of bananas.

In a video uploaded by popular Twitter handle ‘Political Kida’, the man is seen saying, “See the whole world is under lockdown but father and son are roaming free, without any worries. We are out to buy bananas and we are roaming around the town. We have nothing to be afraid of. We are fearless because my name is Kala Dada”

Later, in another video, the man is seen inside a police station, holding his ears while police personnel are present around him. The man is saying, “I committed a big mistake. I should not have done it. I realised my mistake now. I will never do such a thing again. I am thankful to the police personnel, who are on duty 24 hours.”

Pictures and videos of people wilfully defying lockdown orders issued in the wake of coronavirus and in several cases, abusing, attacking police personnel when stopped, are doing rounds in social media. Recently, a Kolkata girl was seen abusing, and spitting on a policeman when her car was stopped. On Wednesday, two miscreants in Sanjay Nagar, Bangalore, were arrested for assaulting police personnel and hurling stones at them when their bike was stopped.

It is notable here that Maharashtra tops the list of states in India with the over 130 confirmed cases and 4 deaths.

Almost half of India’s imported cases of the Wuhan Coronavirus linked to the ​Middle East, data shows

OpIndia Staff
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Almost half of India’s imported cases of the Wuhan Coronavirus linked to the ​Middle East, data shows

The very first case of the Wuhan Coronavirus that originated in China, according to reports, was detected on the 17th of November. While China hid the outbreak for weeks and the WHO along with China downplayed the severity of the virus, soon, the entire world was reeling under the Coronavirus pandemic. In India, the outbreak reached later than several other countries. The first case in India was reported on the 30th of January. The first case came from Kerala of a student who was studying at the Wuhan University. Since then, the pandemic has grown manyfold. As of today, in India, there have been 724 positive cases of the Wuhan Coronavirus, including 66 cured and 17 dead.

Now, the data has revealed that out of the several cases in India, 300+ cases are of those who had a travel history abroad and out of those 300 cases, 142 positive cases in India were of those who had returned from the Middle East. Dr Anupam Singh analysed raw data from a voluntary effort called Covid19IndiaOrg that was collecting data in an attempt to build a verified tracker of the Wuhan Coronavirus cases in India.

Delhi based Dr Anupam Singh, who is a doctor of internal medicine and dabbles in public health data science, after analysing the raw data that has been made public by Covid19IndiaOrg analysed that so far, there have been 300 such cases where the patients had a direct travel history to another affected country and they were tested positive once they returned to India.

The data that was analysed by Dr Anupam Singh provides a unique window in the spread of the Wuhan Coronavirus in India. Interestingly, out of the 300 patients that had a travel history, almost 50%, 142 cases, had travel history to the Middle East.

The countries that they had travelled from where Dubai, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Mecca and Iran.

Out of the countries in the Middle East, people who returned from Dubai topped the chart in testing positive in India. 105 patients out of the 300 patients who had a travel history had travelled back to India from Dubai.

Read: 8-month old among 2 new Coronavirus positive cases in Kashmir, both grandchildren of Saudi returned preacher who died recently

There were many who suggested that the number of positive cases who had a travel history to Dubai may be higher because Dubai acts as a transit point for several people travelling back to India from other countries. However, that does not seem to be the case. Generally, a transit airport is entered in travel history as ‘transit airport’ and it seems unlikely that a transit airport would have been erroneously entered as the airport of origin.

The analysis done by Dr Singh shows that the mortality rate in India is about 2% with senior citizens at higher risk. This finding is in tune with what global experts have found.

Fatality rate in India by age (source: Dr Anupam Sigh)

In the known patients and whose gender details are available, Dr Singh also found the the ratio of positive patients in India is 60:40, Male to female.

Dr Singh also found some super-spreaders some of whom travelled back to India and spread the virus to 16 people.

List of super-spreaders (source: Dr Anupam Singh)

The raw data that Dr Singh used to analyse and reach these conclusions had been made freely available by Covid19IndiaOrg, the voluntary organisation that is trying to build a database tracking Coronavirus cases in India. The full raw data based on which Dr Singh conducted his analyses can be accessed here.

From the findings of Dr Anupam Singh, there are certain facts that become acutely clear. Firstly, the fact that the lockdown that India has announced is extremely essential to arrest the spread of the virus even in the face of hardships. One can see from Dr Singh’s research how in India, one person who does local transmission ends up spreading the infection to anywhere between 2 to 2.7 people on average.

What is also apparent is that the decision of the government of India to stop all International passenger flights in and out of India till the 14th of April seems essential given the number of patients in India who had a travel history especially to the Middle East.

Coronavirus: Govt orders sale of Hydroxychloroquine strictly as per Schedule H1 norms, read what it means

OpIndia Staff
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Coronavirus: Govt orders sale of Hydroxychloroquine strictly as per Schedule H1 norms, read what it means

As the coronavirus pandemic ravages through the world, nations worldwide are taking steps to battle the spread of the viral infection. The anti-malaria drug Hydroxychloroquine has reportedly shown promising results in the treatment of the COVID-19.

The ICMR had recently prescribed the use of Hydroxychloroquine as a preventive measure in high-risk cases, like healthcare workers who are exposed to confirmed COVID-19 patients. Thereafter the government had also banned the export of the drug and its formulations.

Now, the central government’s ministry of health and family welfare has ordered that the retail sale of the anti-malaria drug in any preparation containing it has to strictly be in accordance to the Schedule H1 of the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945.

The notification dated 26 March 2020 reads “Whereas the central government is satisfied that the drug Hydroxychloroquine is essential to meet the requirement of emergency arising due to pandemic COVID-19, and in the public interest, it is necessary and expedient to regulate and restrict the sale and distribution of the drug Hydroxychloroquine and preparation based thereon for preventing their misuse.

Now, therefore, in the exercise of the powers conferred by the Section 26B of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 the central government hereby directs that the sale by retail of any preparation containing the drug Hydroxychloroquine shall be in accordance with the conditions for the sale of drugs under the Schedule H1 to the Drugs and Cosmetics rule 1945.”

The Schedule H1 of the Drugs and Cosmetics rule 1945 was added in 2013 and contained certain 3rd and 4th generation antibiotics, anti-TB drugs, and certain habit-forming drugs. These drugs are required to be sold under the following conditions:

  1. The supply of a drug specified in Schedule H1 shall be recorded in a separate register at the time of the supply giving the name and address of the prescriber, the name of the patient, the name of the drug and the quantity supplied and such records shall be maintained for three years and be open for inspection.

2. The drug specified in Schedule H1 shall be labelled with the symbol Rx which shall be in red and conspicuously displayed on the left top corner of the label, and shall also be labelled with the following words in a box with a red border:

“Schedule H1 Drug-Warning:
-It is dangerous to take this preparation except in accordance with the medical advice.
-Not to be sold by retail without the prescription of a Registered Medical Practitioner.”

The ministry’s order is to prevent self-medication, panic buying and OTC selling of the drug

Singapore return Kerala IAS officer skips home quarantine instructions and travels to UP, case lodged

OpIndia Staff
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Singapore return Kerala IAS officer skips home quarantine instructions and travels to UP, case lodged

A case has been lodged against Kollam Sub Collector Anupam Mishra for jumping home quarantine and leaving for Uttar Pradesh during the nation-wide lockdown. According to the reports, IAS officer Anupam Mishra had come back from Singapore last week and was asked to self-quarantine due to the global spread of Wuhan Coronavirus. However, the young officer left for his hometown Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh.

Mishra is believed to have returned to Kanpur on March 21, a few days before a three-week countrywide lockdown began to check the spread of Wuhan Coronavirus. The officer was under home quarantine since March 18 after returning from abroad. District Collector B Abdul Nazer had directed the sub-collector to remain under observation at his official residence.

Describing the officer’s behaviour as “a serious lapse on part of an IAS officer” the spokesperson said that the Kerala government is in touch with the UP government.

Read: Uttar Pradesh: Mecca-returned woman tested Covid-19 positive, was part of a group of 37 who had rubbed off quarantine stamps and fled from Mumbai

The Kollam administration has put Mishra’s driver, personal security guard and secretary in isolation after his disappearance came to light. 

Kerala is one of the worst-affected states due to the Chinese COVID-19 outbreak in the country. The state was already in a lockdown state when on Tuesday evening, the central government announced a 21-day nationwide lockdown beginning midnight.

More than 78,560 persons are under surveillance in the state in the view of suspected exposure to novel Coronavirus. Nineteen more persons in Kerala were tested COVID-19 positive in Kerala on Thursday alone taking the total number of Chinese virus active patients now to 126 in the state. Among the total of 137 infected persons in the state so far, 11 have been found negative.

Prime Minister asks his ministers to take charge of their states and play the crucial role of leaders in defeating COVID-19

OpIndia Staff
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Prime Minister asks his ministers to take charge of their states and play the crucial role of leaders in defeating COVID-19

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked his ministers to come forward and take charge of their states and play a vital role in defeating the Wuhan Coronavirus epidemic.

As per reports, a letter from the PMO has been sent to all the ministers telling them to play an effective role in stemming the growing disease. The Ministers have been asked to maintain a constant touch with the local administration and keep themselves updated on the status of COVID-19 in their respective constituencies as well.

As per reports, the letter of PM says, “Be in contact with local district administration, make sure all those who have returned from abroad follow quarantine rules and maintain a data of coronavirus positive people and those who have died due to the disease.”

A minister informed, “The elected representatives have been asked to ensure that poor and underprivileged get food, that the PDS shops in their area do not run out of ration, essential commodities are available in local markets and people are not overcharged for the same.”

Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi has been given charge of Jharkhand, Nitin Gadkari and Prakash Javedekar will look after Maharashtra. Uttar Pradesh will be taken into cognizance by Rajnath Singh, Mahendra Nath Pandey, Sanjeev Balyan and Krishna Pal Gujjar.

The responsibility of Bihar has been given to Ravi Shankar Prasad and Ram Vilas Paswan. Rajasthan and Punjab will be looked after by Gajendra Singh Shekhawat.

The senior leadership of the political parties is also taken into confidence. The Prime Minister wants to ensure that there is no community outbreak of the disease.

The country is in a 21-day lockdown to break the chain of COVID-19 and stop the expansion of the deadly contagion by maintaining social distancing.

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