PM Narendra Modi to address the nation on April 14th at 10 am

PM Modi will be addressing the nation at 10am tomorrow, PMO has said. As the country nears the end of the state-mandated 21-day lockdown, rumours have been rife about a possible extension.

While many states including Punjab, Odisha, Telangana and Maharashtra have already extended restrictions till the end of the month, there has been no such diretion from the Cenral govt yet.

After a meeting between Prime Minister Modi and the chief ministers of various states, the broad consensus was that India may have to stay at home for two more weeks as the country tries to stem a coronavirus outbreak that has claimed over 300 lives and infected more than 9,000 people on last count.


Major metros and state capitals such as Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Indore, Gurgaon, Bhopal, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, and Bengaluru, which have seen a high number of cases, are unlikely to see any major relaxations.

Here are the possible scenarios India now faces:
1. Complete Lockdown: Like many states have already announced, the central government may decide to extend the lockdown with all the current restrictions in place. This would mean economic activity in the country would be at a standstill till the end of the month.

2. Phased lifting: The most plausible scenario now however, would be a a phased exit from the lockdown. Agricultural activities may be allowed to resume, and harvests and procurement of produce will take place without any hindrance.

Modi is said to have suggested a “lock-in” for factories with workers staying onsite and maintaining social distancing. The Centre is contemplating measures to bring migrant workers from camps to their factories, possibly by running special buses or trains.

Cargo movement of all kinds of goods will be allowed across the country, as will fishing.

3. Colour Codes: There has also been talk about dividing regions into red, orange and green zones, depending upon the number of cases-- which will then determine the extent of the relaxation. For regions in the red zone, maximum containment will remain in place, with green zones being allowed to function as normal.