Central Govt Teams To Check Ground Situation In 9 States Before Call On Lockdown

PM Narendra Modi is supposed to hold a meeting with state CMs on April 11, following which decision on the lockdown is expected.

New Delhi: The Central government has sent Ten teams to nine COVID-19-hit states and their insights are expected to be factored into the government’s final decision on whether the nationwide lockdown will be continued or end after April 15.

A decision from the Centre is expected following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s meeting with Chief Ministers of states on April 11.

The central teams, which comprise officials from various fields, will report back to the government shortly about the ground situation in states like Bihar, which has not witnessed a high number of coronavirus cases, as well as Tamil Nadu, which has seen a moderate number of cases.

Amid requests from several states that the lockdown needs to be extended, Prime Minister Modi said earlier this week that “from all accounts, the lifting of the lockdown is not possible”, sources told NDTV.

However, there is also pressure on the government – not just on the economic front but also in the agricultural aspect as harvest season is approaching.

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Today, the RBI said the lockdown will directly affect the country’s economic stability. As revenue fell due to the lockdown, several states have reached out to the Centre for financial packages. Yesterday, Delhi suspended all expenses except payment of salaries.

The prolonged shutdown is also bothering farmers, who have to harvest the pending winter crops, which then have to reach storehouses and markets. It would also impact the harvesting of seasonal vegetables – most of the Agri workers have gone back to their villages.

Any disturbance in the harvest will result in inflation in food prices – which would pose a huge challenge amid the coming recession.