Lockdown Extension: PM Narendra Modi To Interact With All CMs Tomorrow

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to interact with chief ministers of all states at 11 pm on Saturday against the backdrop of plans for extension of lockdown. Most states prefer a further extension of the lockdown, but the Centre is likely to arrive at a final decision after due consultation.

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has already announced extension of the lockdown in his state till April 30. Telangana chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao had earlier in the week told the media that he would recommend an extension of the lockdown by two weeks in his interaction with the Prime Minister. KCR, as he is popularly known, told media persons that human lives were of paramount importance.

Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh are stated to have backed the idea of an extension of the lockdown period and have left the final decision to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Faced with a sharp surge in the number of COVID-19 cases in the state, particularly Mumbai, Maharashtra is also likely to back a further extension of the lockdown period.

The southernmost state of Kerala is said to have expressed its preference for a phased withdrawal of the lockdown period. Media reports stated that Andhra Pradesh also prefers the lockdown to stay in place only in hotspots.

The Centre and state governments are battling with Coronavirus on the one hand and the economic impact which the pandemic has brought in its wake, on the other. Several state governments have pointed to the drying up of revenue sources at a very critical time.