Coronavirus lockdown: Relief for industries, farmers; ministries to resume work

New Delhi, Apr 11: All central ministers have been asked to resume work in ministries from Monday and put together plans for post-lockdown period to kick-start the economy, sources said on Saturday.

All ministries have been directed that joint secretary and above rank officers will resume work in respective departments, the sources said, adding that one-third of the essential staff members in every ministry need to be present.

They said the government is focusing on hotspots of COVID-19 to contain the spread of the disease and on efforts to kick-start the economy once the lockdown is lifted.

The Centre is considering a request made by most states to extend the ongoing nationwide lockdown by two weeks beyond April 14, the government said on Saturday after Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacted with chief ministers and told them the focus should be now on ensuring health as well as prosperity of the nation.

During the video-conference with the CMs today, most states requested Prime Minister Modi to extend the lockdown for two more weeks, a government spokesperson said.

"The Central Government is considering this request." An official statement about the interaction later said that talking about the exit plan from the lockdown, Modi said there seems to be a consensus amongst the states on extending the lockdown by two weeks.

"He underlined that the motto of the government earlier was 'jaan hai to jahaan hai (saving lives)' but now is 'jaan bhi jahaan bhi (saving lives as well as making the country prosperous)," the statement said.

There are indications that an extension in the lockdown may come with certain relaxations to boost economic activities.