BREAKING: Centre to take call on lockdown extension post PM's meeting with CMs on April 11

As per sources, the Centre will take the final decision on the extension of the nationwide lockdown after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's meeting with all the Chief Ministers on April 11. Earlier in the day, the PM held an all-party meeting via video conference to discuss the fight against the novel coronavirus. Leaders such as Congress's Ghulam Nabi Azad, Trinamool Congress leader Sudip Bandyopadhyay, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut, Samajwadi Party's Ram Gopal Yadav, BSP leader SC Mishra, Lok Janshakti Party's Chirag Paswan, NCP chief Sharad Pawar and DMK leader TR Baalu participated in the interaction.

According to sources, the PM stressed in the meeting that the extension of the lockdown was inevitable. Already, several states such as Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Telangana have hinted at extending the lockdown period. In his earlier meeting with the CMs, PM Modi had asked them to send their suggestions regarding a common exit strategy which would ensure staggered re-emergence of the population after the end of the lockdown period.

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Centre mulls post-lockdown strategy

On Tuesday, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh chaired a meeting of the Empowered Group of Ministers to discuss the post-lockdown strategy. Sources revealed that the course of action has been divided into two parts- catering to the states where lockdown will be extended and other states where the restrictions will be relaxed. Reportedly, mega community canteens, central distribution points of food are some of the measures that will be considered in the states where the lockdown is extended. On the other hand, some states will be requested to remove the lockdown in a phased manner, whereby restrictions shall be relaxed gradually after every week. Currently, there are 5194 confirmed novel coronavirus cases in India out of which 402 people have recovered while 149 individuals have lost their lives. 

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