NPR, Census may be postponed
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When asked whether cases of community transmission have been found, Union health ministry’s joint secretary Lav Agarwal said that people will be informed when that happens.
No passenger train will originate from any railway station in the country from midnight to 10 pm on Sunday, while all suburban train services have been restricted to a bare minimum. Metro services in Delhi, Mumbai, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu will remain suspended on Sunday while buses services have been curtailed or suspended in many states.
Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu suspended the operation of government bus services while Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal announced that only 50 per cent of the buses will ply in the national capital during the “Janta curfew” on Sunday.
In a statement, Tamil Nadu chief minister K. Palaniswami appealed to the people of the state not to venture out of their homes unless it is essential.
“Government buses and metro rail services will not operate on March 22 in the state. Private transport operators and owners of minibuses too have been asked to extend support and not operate their vehicles on that day,” Mr Palaniswami said.
Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath said, “A call for Janta Curfew was given. Please stay in your homes. Metro trains, roadways buses and city buses will not operate.”
Air carriers like IndiGo, GoAir and Vistara have announced that they will be curtailing domestic operations on Sunday. Traders’ body Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) has announced that they will keep their establishments shut across the country on Sunday.
Describing it as the need of the hour, Union home minister Amit Shah asked everyone in the country to support the Janta Curfew. In a series of tweets, Mr Shah also asked citizens to express gratitude to those who are working round the clock to keep the country safe amid the pandemic.
Union home secretary Ajay Bhalla asked chief secretaries of all states
The Coronavirus pandemic has forced the Home Ministry to look at re-scheduling the Census 2021 and the National Population Register (NPR), for which the first phase is to be conducted between April and September.
In many States work for the census has to start in April but Home Ministry officials feel that adequate number of government officers who work as enumerators and other census functionaries may not available.
“We are closely monitoring the situation and no final decision has been taken,” said a senior official. “But if the present situation continues then it is possible
It is my plea to you to stay put for a few days in the city where you are. We can all stop this disease from spreading by doing so. By crowding railway stations and bus stands, we are playing with our health. Please be concerned about your health and that of your families. Don’t step out of home if not necessary
—
Prime Minister
to ensure that “Janta Curfew” observed properly.
Odisha government announced a near total shutdown in five districts and eight prominent towns for a week, beginning Sunday morning. These districts are Khurda, Ganjam, Cuttack, Kendrapara and Angul, while the towns include Puri, Sambalpur, Jharsuguda, Balasore, Rourkela, Bhadrak, Jajpur Road and Jajpur.
The Bihar government has ordered shutting down of bus services, restaurants and banquet halls across the state till March 31.
Municipal and panchayat elections scheduled to be held in AprilMay in Arunachal Pradesh have been put on hold.
Archbishop of Goa Filipe Neri Ferrao cancelled the Sunday mass at all churches in support of the Prime Minister’s call for “Janta curfew” to fight the pandemic.
the is that in places like Delhi, Meghalaya, Lakshwadeep and Andaman and Nicobar Islands, where the census was to start on April 1 may be pushed back. In any case the first phase is to be completed in six months, between April and September.”
Both Delhi and Odisha have asked the Centre and the Registrar General of India to defer the census.
The second phase is scheduled to start from next February. Sources said a final decision was expected next week.
There is a growing view in the Ministry that not only would government machinery be busy with the Coronavirus, but a doorto-door would unnecessarily expose census officers to infection.
Prominent Islamic seminary Darul Uloom Deoband in Uttar Pradesh said it will remain closed on March
22 and asked its students not to venture outside.
Maharashtra’s Akola district administration also ordered a lockdown from March 22 to 24.
In West Bengal, the Mamata Banerjee government ordered all restaurants, bars, pubs, nightclubs, amusement parks, museums and zoos to remain shut till March 31.
Karnataka chief minister B.S. Yediyurappa has urged citizens not to venture out immediately after the end of curfew time as it will nullify the measure.
The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), meanwhile, revised its strategy to fight the spread of the new coronavirus saying all hospitalised patients with severe acute respiratory illness, shortness of breath and having fever and cough will now be tested for Covid19 infection.
The new ICMR guidelines also said even asymptomatic direct and high-risk contacts of a confirmed case should be tested once between Day 5 and Day
14 of coming in contact with the infected person. Till now, only those individuals who undertook international travel in the last 14 days and developed symptoms were being tested for the infection as per the guidelines.