With several festivals coming up, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday urged people to stay alert of the coronavirus and continue to follow Covid-appropriate behaviour such as wearing masks and washing hands.
In his monthly Mann Ki Baat radio broadcast, Modi said that in the coming days the festival of Eid, Akshaya Tritiya, birth anniversary of Bhagwan Parashuram and Vaishakh Budh Purnima will be celebrated.
"All these festivals are festivals of restraint, purity, charity and harmony. Advance greetings to all of you on the occasion of these festivals. Celebrate these festivals with great gaiety and harmony," Modi said.
"In the midst of all this, you also have to be alert of corona (virus). Wearing a mask, washing hands at regular intervals, whatever are the necessary measures for prevention, keep following them," the prime minister stressed.
Modi will hold a meeting with chief ministers on the emerging COVID-19 situation in the country on Wednesday through video conference, official sources had said on Saturday.
Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan will make a presentation on the matter, they said.
With 2,593 new coronavirus infections being reported in a day, India's total tally of cases rose to 4,30,57,545, while the active cases increased to 15,873, according to Union health ministry data updated on Sunday.
The death toll climbed to 5,22,193 with 44 fresh fatalities, the data updated at 8 am stated.
The cumulative doses administered in the country so far under the nationwide COVID-19 vaccination drive has exceeded 187.67 crore.
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Dear Reader,
Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance.
We, however, have a request.
As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Our subscription model has seen an encouraging response from many of you, who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed.
Support quality journalism and subscribe to Business Standard.
Digital Editor
RECOMMENDED FOR YOU