Saturday 27 / July / 2024
India Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the nation at 10am on Tuesday amid indications that the shutdown could be extended by another two weeks with certain relaxations to boost economic activities.
"Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the nation at 10am on 14th April 2020," the Prime Minister's Office tweeted.
Government sources in India say the country wants some industries to resume production after April 15 even though a current three-week lockdown due to end on Tuesday is expected to be extended to the end of April.
One source told a news agency that any manufacturing operations that do restart would have to conform to health guidelines that are still being drawn up. A letter from the Industries Ministry to the Home Ministry seen by Reuters mentions autos, textiles, defense and electronics as sectors that could resume production.
Economists have warned that India's already faltering economy will be badly affected by the lockdown, with unemployment possibly rising to record levels. India had 9,205 cases of coronavirus infections, with 331 people dying of COVID-19 as of Monday morning.
Seven states including Maharashtra, Odisha, Punjab, West Bengal, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Telangana have already announced extension of the lockdown till April 30.
