Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday asked Indians to exercise extra caution as the economy opens up, in his address to the nation through the monthly "Mann ki Baat" radio programme.
"A large part of economy has opened up and it is time to be more careful," Modi said, a day after the central government came up with a phased plan for reopening the country while locking down containment zones till June 30.
In his 30-minute address, the PM said staying at home as much as possible, while maintaining six-feet distance and wearing masks while going out is all the more important now even as he credited a ‘people-driven response’ for the ‘slower spread’ of the virus in the country compared to other nations.
He noted that a big part of economy has reopened, with railway and air traffic being resumed partially and set to be scaled up in the coming says. The Centre’s new guidelines have also allowed malls, hotels, restaurants and places of worship can open, except in areas with the most number of coronavirus cases, from June 8.
The pandemic has hit every corner of the world and India is also not untouched by it, he said as he spoke about the pain of the people.
Modi said all classes of people have suffered during the pandemic but it is the poor and the migrant labourers who have suffered the worst.
Everyone is working to help them, he said, and highlighted the railways' exercise to transport huge numbers of migrant workers to their home.
The problem suffered by the poor during the crisis has been a reason for introspection and served lessons for future, he said, noting that it has underscored the pain of the country's eastern region which has lagged behind other regions in development.
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