No plan for national lockdown, says Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman

Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman has reached out to the Indian industry, saying that there is no plan for a National lockdown as India continues to register record high Covid-19 cases with each passing day.

The focus, instead, is on creating small containment zones to control the spread of the virus. India on Sunday reported 2,61,500 new Covid-19 cases, 1,501 fatalities.

Sitharaman reached out to the president of Federation of Indian Micro and Small & Medium Enterprises (FISME), the industry body’s president Animesh Saxena said in a statement on Sunday.


“I received a call from FM Nirmala Sitaraman today to convey us the preparedness by the government to handle recent surge of COVID cases,” Saxena said.

Sitharaman said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah are in constant touch with all States to monitor the situation and providing all assistance regarding the availability of oxygen, essential medicines and medical facilities, Saxena said.

“She (Sitharaman) said there is no plan of national lock down and focus would be on creating small containment zones to stop the spread. She wanted our inputs for addressing any of our concerns, he said.

FISME will hold discussions with member associations on Wednesday, Saxena said.