Odisha Extends Lockdown To April 30, Appeals Not To Begin Flight, Train Services
The Odisha government has extended the lockdown in the state till April 30, in a bid to stop the attack of the coronavirus.
Odisha Chief Minister Navin Patnaik has appealed to the Centre to postpone the start of train and air services till April 30. All educational institutions in the state have also been closed till June 17.
Odisha has become the first state in the country to extend the lockdown. Earlier, a proposal to extend the lockdown had been passed in a Cabinet meeting of the Uttarakhand government. The state government has sent this proposal to the Central government for sanction. The Uttar Pradesh government has also made it clear that given the rising cases of the coronavirus, the lockdown cannot be removed. Several state governments are in favour of extending the lockdown after April 15 because cases of the coronavirus are increasing instead of reducing. Following an all-party meeting, PM Modi has also indicated that a decision on extending the lockdown could be taken after a meeting with the Chief Ministers of all states on April 11. Due to the extension of the lockdown, the difficulties of those farmers whose wheat crop is ready for harvesting have increased. Kalibandhu, a farmer in Madhya Pradesh’s Chhatarpur district, is not able to find labourers to harvest his crop. Kalibandhu said, “The machines for harvesting crops are very costly and we cannot afford to rent them. Farmers are anxious due to the lockdown because if the crop is not harvested, what will we sell?” Meanwhile, Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar has held a meeting with Agriculture Ministers of all states. He has asked for all agencies related to the agriculture sector to be sensitised, so that the difficulties faced by farmers in this time of crisis can be reduced. Farmers say that due to non-availability of labourers for harvesting, they will definitely incur losses.
Odisha has become the first state in the country to extend the lockdown. Earlier, a proposal to extend the lockdown had been passed in a Cabinet meeting of the Uttarakhand government. The state government has sent this proposal to the Central government for sanction. The Uttar Pradesh government has also made it clear that given the rising cases of the coronavirus, the lockdown cannot be removed. Several state governments are in favour of extending the lockdown after April 15 because cases of the coronavirus are increasing instead of reducing. Following an all-party meeting, PM Modi has also indicated that a decision on extending the lockdown could be taken after a meeting with the Chief Ministers of all states on April 11. Due to the extension of the lockdown, the difficulties of those farmers whose wheat crop is ready for harvesting have increased. Kalibandhu, a farmer in Madhya Pradesh’s Chhatarpur district, is not able to find labourers to harvest his crop. Kalibandhu said, “The machines for harvesting crops are very costly and we cannot afford to rent them. Farmers are anxious due to the lockdown because if the crop is not harvested, what will we sell?” Meanwhile, Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar has held a meeting with Agriculture Ministers of all states. He has asked for all agencies related to the agriculture sector to be sensitised, so that the difficulties faced by farmers in this time of crisis can be reduced. Farmers say that due to non-availability of labourers for harvesting, they will definitely incur losses.
Amid rumours about the nationwide #lockdown due to end on April 14, #Odisha has become the 1st Indian state to extend the ongoing lockdown till April 30. In a video statement, CM @Naveen_Odisha said that his government has decided to extend the lockdown period#lockdownextension pic.twitter.com/LDdVpRtug5
— GoNewsIndia (@GoNews_India) April 9, 2020
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