PM Modi to hold 5th meeting with CMs over economy on Monday

New Delhi, May 10 (IANS): Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold a meeting with all Chief Ministers on Monday to discuss the next stage in the exit from the nationwide lockdown enforced to contain the novel coronavirus outbreak and various issues comprising the economy, officials said on Sunday.

The Prime Minister’s Office took to Twitter to share the information that he would hold the meeting via video-conference at around 3 p.m.

“PM Narendra Modi to hold the 5th meeting via video-conference with state Chief Ministers tomorrow (Monday) afternoon at 3 p.m.,” PMO India tweeted.

PM @narendramodi to hold the 5th meeting via video-conference with state Chief Ministers tomorrow afternoon at 3 PM.

— PMO India (@PMOIndia) May 10, 2020

Sources said the focus of the meeting will be on further increasing the economic activities and on tackling the pandemic in containment zones as the lockdown 3.0 is to end on May 17.

The announcement comes after Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba chaired a meeting with Chief Secretaries and Health Secretaries of all states and Union Territories (UTs) to review their status of novel coronavirus or Covid-19 management. As the Chief Secretaries informed Gauba about the situation in their states and also said that while protection is required from Covid-19, the economic activities also needed to be stepped up in a calibrated manner, the Prime Minister also want to take stock of the situation in a one-on-one discussion with the Chief Ministers of these states.

The lockdown, enforced on March 25, was originally supposed to end on April 14. It was then extended to May 3, and then again to May 17.

According to sources familiar with the matter, there will definitely be more concessions in terms of what’s allowed, but that there will likely be no changes in Covid-19 hotspots and containment zones.