COVID-19: India PM Modi hints at further reopening of economy

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday hinted that the opening of the economy will continue. However, he cautioned everyone to be mindful of wearing masks and maintaining hygiene and social distancing norms now that offices are re-opening.

“We have to always keep in mind that the more we can stop the coronavirus, the more it will stop growing, the more our economy will open up, our offices will open, the markets will open, the means of transport will open, and so will new employment opportunities,” the Prime Minister said in his inaugural statement during the sixth video conference with Chief Ministers and representatives of different states and Union Territories (UTs) to take stock of the COVID-19 situation.

He hailed the role of the Chief Ministers and the Centre-state cooperation during these trying times. “When India’s fight against COVID-19 will be analysed in future, this time will be remembered for how we worked together and served as an example of cooperative federalism,” added Modi.

He also said that India’s mortality rate has been significantly lower than many other countries.

The video interaction started soon after Defence Minister Rajnath Singh briefed Modi about the prevailing situation in Eastern Ladakh, where the Indian Army faced multiple casualties during a violent face-off with the People’s Liberation Army of China.

The states and UTs which attended Tuesday’s video conference included Punjab, Assam, Kerala Uttarakhand, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Tripura, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Goa, Manipur, Nagaland, Ladakh, Puducherry, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Sikkim, Lakshadweep, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu.

So far, five such interactions have taken place ever since the first lockdown was implemented to contain the spread of coronavirus. India has more than 1,53,000 active COVID-19 cases as on Tuesday.