Prepare 'Graded Plan' To Open Areas That Are Not COVID-19 Hotspots: PM Modi To Ministers

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Monday, April 6, asked the Union Ministers to prepare a "graded plan" to initiate opening of the departments that are not threatened due to the novel coronavirus.

PM Modi chaired a meeting of the Council of Ministers through video conferencing and said that the state governments should work on a war footing to mitigate the adverse impact of the pandemic on the country's economy.

A statement from the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) stated that communication and a continuous feedback system has been an effective tool in tackling the pandemic. He urged the ministers to 'communicate exhaustively' on the ground situation for districts which are COVID-19 hotspots.

The Prime Minister has asked the leaders to chalk out a plan for the emergent conditions that would crop up once the lockdown is lifted and to prepare a list of ten major decisions and ten priority areas of focus once lockdown ends.

He also instructed the ministers to prepare a Business Continuity Plan. The leaders in the meeting have also been asked to submit actionable suggestions on boosting manufacturing and exports to minimise the economical burden.

He also emphasized the importance of social distancing at PDS centres, to maintain effective monitoring of the supplies and prevent black marketing and rise in prices of essentials.

Hinting at the current global shortage of medical equipment, he said, the country needs to lessen its dependence on other nations and has all departments to maintain an objective index on how their work will promote Make in India.

To curb the unprecedented spreading of fake news and keep the citizens aware of the government initiatives during the pandemic, the ministers were also asked to popularize the Aarogya Setu app in the rural areas and grass-root institutions.

According to reports, the ministers also briefed PM Modi on the measures that are being taken to tackle the difficulties related to migrant labourers, steps to prevent misuse of social media to create panic, efforts on maintenance of supply lines of essentials and the issues faced by front line workers.

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