Be it village pradhan or PM, no one above law: Modi on lockdown violations

In his address to the nation, PM Modi said that no one is above law be it village pradhan or the prime minister himself. PM Modi observed that since 'Unlock-1', there is increasing negligence in personal and social behaviour.

New Delhi:Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday lamented the increase in negligence in personal and social behaviour since 'Unlock-1' from June one when coronavirus lockdown curbs were eased, and said no one is above law in India be it a village pradhan or the head of the government.

In his address to the nation, the prime minister also observed that rules were followed very strictly during the nationwide lockdown imposed on March 25, adding there is a need to be alert and more careful during the 'Unlock' phase.

"But we have also seen that since 'Unlock-1', there is increasing negligence in personal and social behaviour. Earlier, we were very careful with respect to wearing of masks, social distancing and washing of hands for 20 seconds. But today, when we need to be more careful, increasing negligence is a cause of worry," he said.

During the unlock phase, governments, local bodies and people need to show similar alertness. "We especially need to focus more on containment zones," he stressed. The country has been witnessing a rapid surge in coronavirus cases since June one.

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"You must have seen in the news, prime minister of a country was fined Rs 13,000 for not wearing a mask in public place. In India too, the local administration should work with the same enthusiasm. This is a drive to protect the lives of 130 crore people. Be it a village pradhan or the prime minister, no one is above the law in India," Modi asserted.

"As the country enters Unlock-2, we are also entering the season of increasing cases of cough, cold and fever. I, therefore, request all of you to take special care of yourselves," he said.

The country will be entering "Unlock-2" from July 1 for which guidelines were issued by the Union Home Ministry on Monday night for further easing of the restrictions imposed due to the lockdown.

With 18,522 people testing positive for COVID-19 in a single day, India's case count reached 5,66,840 on Tuesday while the death toll rose to 16,893 with 418 new fatalities, according to the Union Health Ministry data.

The number of active cases stands at 2,15,125, while 3,34,821 people have recovered, and one patient has migrated, according to the updated data at 8 am on Tuesday.

(PTI report)