Prime minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday changed his Facebook and Twitter Twitter display pictures, moments after addressing the nation that the lockdown will be extended till May 3.
New Delhi:
With folded hands, he was seen using his scarf as a mask.
In his address to the nation he offered the states -- a chance -- "you will be monitored till April 20 and conditional reprieve may be given on how well you perform".
"The fight against Corona will be more strictly enforced in the next one week. By 20 April, every town, every police station, every district, every state will be evaluated on how well lockdown is being followed or which areas have been able to protect itself from Corona," he told the States through his address to the nation, getting a sense of competition.
The Prime Minister concluded his address to the nation, which went on predictable lines, with '7 Mantras as India is maneuvering through a difficult phase where it has to choose between life and livelihood. Modi put the debate to rest on Tuesday by saying, saving lives is more important than acknowledging its economic consequences. However, to make the impact bearable, PM Modi urged all to feed the hungry, look after the ailing and old and appealed to employers against pay cuts or laying off during this "difficult time".
While he himself appeared wearing a homemade mask during his speech, he urged all Indians to wear one as well. As India continues to report bizarre incidents where doctors or police personnel are being targeted, sometimes in the most brutal way, as it recently happened in Punjab, PM appealed to respect the coronawarriors, for whom he earlier had urged Indians to clap and light candles for.
The total number of confirmed cases of novel coronavirus in India climbed to 10,363, with 1,211 new cases and 31 deaths in the last 24 hours, as per the data published by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Sunday.