Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the nation shortly at 5 pm, the Prime Minister's Office confirmed. The Prime Minister is expected to highlight the need to follow COVID-appropriate behaviour during his address. PM Modi may request people to follow COVID-19 protocols even as restrictions are eased, sources said. He is also likely to give assurance about the progress of vaccination programme, and urge people to drop vaccine hesitancy and get vaccinated.
Check out BusinessToday.In live blog for all the details on PM Modi's speech
5.40 PM: PM Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana extended till Diwali
"Today, the government has decided the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana will now be extended till Diwali. In this time of pandemic, the government is standing by the poor with every need, as their partner. By November, free food grains will be available in fixed quantity every month to more than 80 crore countrymen," says PM Modi
5.37 PM: Private hospitals will be able to charge only Rs 150 more than cost of vaccine they purchase from manufacturers, says PM Modi
5.35 PM: Centre to provide vaccines free for 18+
After 21 June, the Centre will deliver free of cost vaccine to states for 18+ age group. The Centre will buy directly from manufacturers.
5.30 PM: Centre to 100% work on vaccination
"Today we have decided that the 25% work that the state was to do, Centre will take it on. It will be implemented in two weeks. Centre and states will prepare themselves in 2 weeks as per new guidelines," says PM Modi.
5.28 PM: Many states said earlier system was good: PM Modi
"We thought let the states monitor 25% of the vaccination work. That was done on May 1. They understood then what are the difficulties faced in making such a programme happen. Within two weeks of May, some states started saying openly that the earlier system was good. More states joined in, even those who'd endorsed decentralisation," he said.
5.28 PM: PM Modi on vaccination programme
"This year, much of the vaccination programme happened under the Centre's watch. Vaccination programme was on smoothly. Then states said let the vaccination programme be decentralised. They asked questions about age groups, why should Centre decide who gets vaccine first, different pressures were brought on, and some even asked why senior citizens were prioritised?"
5.25 PM: PM Modi on 2nd Covid wave
"You can imagine what would have happened if our frontline workers, doctors were not vaccinated before second wave. Because most of them being vaccinated, they could dedicate themselves into service of the people," says Modi.
5.19 PM: Nasal vaccine research underway, says PM Modi
"To increase vaccine availability, the process of procuring vaccines from abroad has been sped up. Experts have also expressed concerns about children. In this direction, the trial of two vaccines is underway. Research is being conducted for a nasal vaccine in the country," says PM Modi.
5.13 PM: PM Modi says vaccine supply will be increasing in the coming days. "Seven companies in the country are producing different vaccines, 3 vaccine trials at advanced stage," he adds.
5.11 PM: In the last one year, India launched two made-in-India vaccines. Today more than 23 crore vaccine doses administered: PM Modi
5.04 PM: Imagine that if the country did not have a vaccine made in India right now, what would have happened in a huge country like India, asks PM Modi. "Earlier, India would take decades to acquire vaccines from across the world. Foreign countries would get vaccinated fully and we'd wait for the start of the vaccination programme," says the PM.
5.03 PM: Medical oxygen supply is up 10 times now: PM
"In the shortest time possible, liquid medical oxygen supply was increased 10 times. Whatever was needed, was brought in from across the world. We didn't leave any stone unturned in bringing in whatever medical supplies needed for anywhere in the land. The demand for vaccines globally is much more than the manufacturers of vaccines across the world," says PM Modi.
5.01 pm: During April-May, demand for oxygen had gone up to unimaginable levels. To fulfil this demand, we fought on war-footing
5.00 pm: Fight against Covid-19 is on
"Our fight against second wave is on. We've gone through a lot of pain. We've lost loved ones, acquaintances. My sympathies with all such families. This is the biggest pandemic of the last 100 years. The modern world had seen nothing like this. We've fought this at many levels," says PM Modi.
4.41 PM: On Monday, India reported 1,00,636 fresh COVID-19 cases, the lowest in 61 days. Active cases dropped to 14,01,609, while death toll due to coronavirus reached 3,49,186 with 2,427 new fatalities, the lowest in around 45 days, as per Health Ministry's data.
4.39 PM: Before this, PM Modi addressed the nation on April 20.
4.30 PM: PMO tweeted on Monday: Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi will address the nation at 5 PM today, 7th June.
4.25 PM: Modi has addressed the nation a number of times since the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic last year, offering suggestions to people and outlining measures the government has been taking to deal with the situation. He has also made new announcements at times in the address.
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