Prime Minister Modi to hold meeting with Chief Ministers of States and UTs
The dire coronavirus situation in India has led the Prime Minister to call sixth meeting of all the CMs to discuss ways to flatten the coronavirus curve of the country. Soon after the unlocking phase 1, the country has witnessed a huge spike in the number of cases. Certain states such as Maharashtra, Delhi, and Tamil Nadu have been worst hit by the coronavirus.
The world’s strictest lockdown which was imposed in March led to an economic crisis in the country.
The meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the state Chief Ministers will be conducted on 16th June and 17th June. They will discuss ways to prevent the mass spread of coronavirus in the country, and steps to refuel the economy.
With over 3.4 Lakh cases reported, June alone accounts for over a lakh of coronavirus cases. The Unlock phase 1 which started from June was done to restart the economy and boost it, but it led to a huge surge in the number of coronavirus cases.
The meeting will take place in two parts. The chief ministers of the states that have reported a smaller number of cases will meet with the Prime Minister today, on 16 June. The worst affected states will conduct a meeting with the Prime Minister on Wednesday, 17th June.
The meeting will start from 3pm. Fifteen states including Maharashtra, Delhi, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh have accounted for more than 80% of the total cases in the country. While the top contributors such as Maharashtra, Delhi, Tamil Nadu and Gujarat account for over 65% cases.
Today, on 16th June, Prime Minister will hold a meeting with CMs of 21 states and UTs. These include Punjab, Chandigarh, Sikkim, Andaman and Nicobar Islands. These 21 states and UTs have only reported around 19.5k cases yet. The main focus will be on the 15 worst affected states among these states, as they account for the majority of coronavirus cases among them. Issues such as availability of beds in the hospital, social distancing practices, zonal relaxations are likely to be discussed. The meeting will take place via video conference.
Many CMs, including Arvind Kejriwal are not likely to impose a lockdown again, as they want to focus on the economy of their respective states. However, Tamil Nadu declared a complete lockdown in four districts including Chennai.
Narendra Modi led Union Government is being heavily criticized by opposition party leaders, as the economic crisis and high surge in the country has left India hopeless. The two-day video conference meeting will help the states strategize a functional plan to deal with the coronavirus crisis. The 15 worst-affected states which account for over 90% of the cases will be the major point of focus.
This will be the sixth meeting of the Prime Minister with the State CMs during the coronavirus crisis.