PM Narendra Modi to hold high-level meeting with CMs to review COVID-19 situation in India

NEW DELHI: In view of the prevailing COVID-19 crisis in the nation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday (April 22) cancelled his visit to poll-bound West Bengal and said that he will chair high-level meetings to review the situation.

Informing through a tweet, the PM said that he will chair high-level meetings on Friday due to which he will be unable to visit Bengal.

"Tomorrow will be chairing high-level meetings to review the prevailing COVID-19 situation. Due to that, I would not be going to West Bengal," PM Modi said in a tweet on Thursday.

Tomorrow, will be chairing high-level meetings to review the prevailing COVID-19 situation. Due to that, I would not be going to West Bengal.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 22, 2021

As per the PM’s schedule, at 9 AM he will hold an internal meeting to review the COVID-19 situation. After the meet, at 10 AM, Modi will interact with the Chief Ministers of high burden states and discuss the ongoing crisis. The PM is also slated to hold a meeting with leading oxygen manufacturers in the country via video conferencing at 12.30 pm.

Meanwhile, the PM will address the people of West Bengal through a virtual medium at 5 pm on Friday. He was earlier scheduled to address four rallies across four districts and 56 assembly constituencies in the state.

With the COVID cases rising at a rapid pace in the country, PM Modi has been chairing regular meetings to review the situation. He had also addressed the nation on Tuesday.

In his address to the nation on Tuesday, PM Modi had urged people to follow the right discipline to safeguard everyone against the novel coronavirus. He also urged states to let lockdown be the last resort and to instead focus in micro-containment zones to handle the pandemic.

Creating a world record of the highest single-day surge, India recorded 3,14,835 fresh coronavirus infections, pushing the cumulative tally to 1,59,30,965 on Thursday, as per data by the Health Ministry.

The country's total COVID-19 caseload climbed to over 1.59 crore, of which, 22.91 lakh (22,91,428) were active cases. India also witnessed 1,84,657 deaths due to the deadly infection.