The government on Sunday carried out a comprehensive review of the situation arising out of coronavirus pandemic including treatment of affected people, movement of thousands of migrant labourers and supplies of petroleum products and essential commodities across the country under the nation-wide lockdown.
The review was conducted by a Group of Ministers headed by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and comprising several key members of the Union Cabinet including Home Home Minister Amit Shah, Food Minister Ram Vilas Paswan, Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and Railway Minister Piyush Goyal.
Government sources said the ministers deliberated on various arrangements put in place for effective implementation of the 21-day lockdown which began on midnight Tuesday and is aimed at checking the spread of the virus infection.
The unabated exodus of migrant workers from big cities to their villages after being left jobless also figured prominently at the meeting, they said.
The government took stock of the situation on a day the nationwide positive cases crossed the 1,000 mark with 27 people dead amid apprehensions that India may soon enter the community transmission stage of the pandemic.
The meeting was also attended by Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar, Rural Development Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Zubin Irani, Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and Minister of State for Home G Kishan Reddy
The ministers were briefed about the situation including on availability and supply of essential commodities and medicines across the country by Home Secretary AK Bhalla
Union Minister Jitendra Singh said cargo flights will be used exclusively for transporting medical equipment and emergency goods, besides other essential items to the northeastern states