A section of government functionaries believes that Prime Minister Narendra Modi may make public his decision on whether to extend the nationwide lockdown after a key meeting on April 14, while others expect an announcement as early as Sunday.
A Union minister, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said PM Modi has called a meeting of stakeholders at the central level on Tuesday — the day the ongoing restrictions imposed to stop the spread of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) are set to end.
“…the announcement may come afterwards…it looks like we may have an extension of the lockdown since that’s what a majority of the states also want,” this minister said.
A government official, who has been involved in working out a strategy for a staggered lifting of the lockdown (or gradual easing of curbs), said: “The Prime Minister’s statement will come in a day or two.”
But there’s another section of government officials who believe that an announcement on the lockdown strategy would come on Sunday.
India imposed sweeping restrictions banning commercial rail and air travel, interstate movement and social and religious gatherings on March 25 to fight the Sars-CoV-2 virus, which causes Covid-19, as life came to a halt in the country of 1.3 billion people. Only essential services, such as health care and policing, are exempt.
Several states such as Odisha, Punjab and Mahrashtra have already taken state-specific decisions to extend the curbs at least till the end of the month. There has been no announcement at the central level though.
But after talks between Modi and chief ministers on Saturday, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal and West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee claimed that the PM had agreed to extend the lockdown.
During the video conference, Modi told chief ministers that India will have to strike a balance between “jaan” (lives) and “jahaan” (the outside world), in a sign that the restrictions may continue in some form after April 14 but there could also be relaxations in order to kick-start economy amid grim growth projections.
Central officials aware of the matter say the PM’s message meant that the government may move towards a “smart lockdown” — with severe restrictions in affected districts to tackle the health challenge, and partial lifting of restrictions in unaffected districts along with the opening up of some sectors to meet the economic challenge.
While micro, small and medium enterprises Nitin Gadkari has favoured restarting manufacturing units that don’t require mass transport, others have expressed concerns about the increasing stress on prices of essentials due to supply chain disruptions.
