PM Modi Address to Nation Date, Speech Time: With the 21-day nationwide lockdown to break the chain of transmission of coronavirus set to end on Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will spell out the future course of action in an address to the nation at 10 am. With the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in India crossing the 9,000-mark on Monday, including 308 deaths, the spread of COVID-19 cases to almost half the districts in the country is likely to weigh on the mind of the Centre in crafting a graded approach. In a four-hour meeting between PM Modi and state Chief Ministers on Saturday, a broad consensus had emerged that the national lockdown should be extended by at least two weeks till April-end. Following the meeting, Odisha became the first state to extend the state-wide lockdown till April 30. Punjab followed suit and also extended the lockdown till May 1 as well as Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana and West Bengal. Prime Minister @narendramodi will address the nation at 10 AM on 14th April 2020. — PMO India (@PMOIndia) April 13, 2020 After the meeting, a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office signaled a nuanced change in strategy from saving lives a month ago to saving lives as well as livelihoods now. "He (Prime Minister) underlined that the motto of the government earlier was ‘jaan hai to jahaan hai’ but now is ‘jaan bhi jahaan bhi’," the PMO statement said. In the meeting, PM Modi is learnt to have pitched for Aarogya Setu – an app to track and alert those who come physically close to Covid-19 cases, and referred to the possibility of it being an e-pass which could facilitate travel from one place to another. Another source present in the meeting said, a graded exit post the extended lockdown seemed to be the way going forward. "India will be divided into two kinds of districts – those which reported cases of COVID-19 where restrictions will continue, and the others that are virus free. In the second category, intra-district movements could be permitted," the source said. Last month, PM Modi had addressed the nation twice - on March 19 and March 24. On March 19, he had called for "resolve and restraint" to fight coronavirus pandemic. He had also announced a 'janta curfew' on March 22, a Sunday. On March 24, PM Modi had announced the 21-day nationwide lockdown to check the spread of the virus. In a video message on April 3, Modi had urged people to switch off the lights at their homes and light lamps, candles or mobile phone torches for nine minutes at 9 pm on April 5 to display the country's "collective resolve" to defeat the coronavirus.
