Closing News: PM Modi will interact with the CM on Monday with focus on the economy | India News

NEW DELHI: Focusing on boosting economic activities amid a gradual exit from the coronavirus-induced blockade, Prime Minister Narendra Modi He will interact with the chief ministers of various states via video conference on Monday afternoon.
This will be his fifth interaction with the chief ministers after the outbreak of the new coronavirus in the country.
The Prime Minister’s Office said the video conference will begin at 3 PM on Monday.

Sources in the government said that the focus of the meeting would be to boost economic activities and boost efforts to convert ‘red’ areas with a high COVID-19 case load into ‘orange’ or ‘green’ areas.
The number of COVID-19 infections has more than doubled since the prime minister interacted with chief ministers on April 27, from just over 28,000 cases to almost 63,000 cases.
Days after the meeting, the central government had extended the blockade for two more weeks until May 17 to stop the spread of the virus, but gave several relaxations in economic activities and the movement of people.
The national blockade has been in effect since March 25.
Several states have recently relaxed labor laws to boost industrial activities with tiered shifts or limited staff, as a further increase in coronavirus cases could undo profits so far.
Monday’s meeting could also discuss other relaxations as part of a gradual exit from the shutdown, but all restrictions are unlikely to be lifted at once, sources suggested.
The meeting occurs days before the third phase of the closure ends on May 17.
At a meeting on Sunday, the state’s top secretaries told Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba that while protection from COVID-19 is required, economic activities must also be intensified in a calibrated manner.
With thousands of migrant workers taking special trains to return to their home states due to the shutdown, restarting industrial activities will be a challenge for states.