Coronavirus crisis: PM Modi to interact with field officials from states, districts on Tuesday

New Delhi, May 17: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Tuesday interact with field officials from states and districts, many of which have seen a huge surge in COVID-19 cases and widespread infection, his office said.

In their interaction with the prime minister, officials will share some best practices, suggestions and recommendations for continuing the ongoing battle against COVID-19, especially in semi-urban and rural areas, it said.

Officials from these districts in their relentless efforts to manage the situation also have success stories that could be replicated across the country, a statement from the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said.

Karnataka, Bihar, Assam, Chandigarh, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Goa, Himachal Pradesh and Delhi will take part in meeting. Official sources had earlier said that in the meeting district magistrates from 46 districts across nine states will participate.

The prime minister will have a similar meeting on May 20 in which top officials of 54 districts from 10 states are scheduled to attend, they had said. The PMO statement said on Monday that the battle against COVID-19 across various districts and states is being led at the cutting edge by field-level officials.

"Many of them have shown great initiative and come out with imaginative solutions. A better appreciation of such initiatives will help towards developing effective response plan, targeted strategy implementation and support necessary policy interventions," it said.

Many effective measures have been taken, from ensuring strict containment measures are undertaken to control the infection's spread, to preparing healthcare facilities for handling the raging second wave, to ensuring availability of healthcare workforce and a seamless supply chain for logistics, the statement said.