New Delhi, Apr 26 () Prime Minister Narendra Modi will interact with chief ministers via video conference on Monday morning on the way ahead in the fight against the novel coronavirus, amid indications that the discussions could also focus on a graded exit from the ongoing lockdown. This will be the third video conference of the prime minister with the chief ministers after the spread of the COVID-19 in the country. Sources in the government indicated that besides discussing the way forward in dealing with the pandemic, the discussion could also focus on a "graded" exit from the lockdown which is in place till May 3. The Centre and the state governments have been giving gradual relaxation in various fields and sectors to boost economic activities as also to provide relief to people. But some states are willing to extend the lockdown beyond May 3 to ensure that coronavirus cases remain under control. In his monthly 'Mann ki Baat' radio address on Sunday, the prime minister said the country is in the middle of a 'yudh' (war) and asserted that people have to continue being careful and take precautions. His note of caution comes against the backdrop of the Union government and states relaxing lockdown norms to revive economic activities. "I urge you not to get overconfident. You should in your over-enthusiasm not think that if the coronavirus has not yet reached your city, village, street or office, it is not going to reach now. Never make such a mistake. The experience of the world tells us a lot in this regard," he said. Modi referred to a popular Hindi idiom 'Sawdhani hati, durghatna ghati' (accident happens when caution is lowered) to make his point. The Centre has now allowed neighbourhood and standalone shops, including those located in residential complexes, in urban areas to open during the lockdown. But those in the markets continue to remain shut till May 3. In rural areas, all shops, except those in shopping malls, are allowed to open. In a late night order on Friday, the Home Ministry also said malls continue to remain shut but markets in rural areas can open. However, opening of shops located in COVID-19 hotspot and containment zones, sale of non-essential items by e-commerce platforms and sale of liquor continue to be prohibited. In the last interaction on April 11, several chief ministers had recommended extension of the 21-day lockdown by two weeks, which was slated to end on April 14 earlier. On April 14, the prime minister had announced that the lockdown is being extended till May 3. Before the lockdown was announced on March 24, the prime minister had interacted with the chief ministers on March 20 to discuss ways and means to check the spread of the novel coronavirus. NAB SMN

PM to interact with CMs on Monday to discuss way out of lockdown, COVID fight

(Eds: Updating with details, Meghalaya CM's tweet) New Delhi, Apr 27 () Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday held a video conference with chief ministers to discuss the situation arising due to COVID-19 in the country, which is under a 50-day lockdown since March 25 to contain the pandemic, even as Meghalaya said it will continue with the shutdown post May 3 with relaxations in 'Green Zones' or non-COVID affected districts.This is Modi's fourth such interaction with state chief ministers since March 22 when he first spoke to them on the coronavirus situation and steps taken --both by the Centre and the states-- to contain the pandemic. Two days later on March 24, Modi announced a 21-day nationwide lockdown. He extended the lockdown till May 3 on April 14, the last day of the initial three week shutdown.Among those present at the virtual meet, included Home Minister Amit Shah, Health Minister Harsh Vardhan and top officials from the PMO and Union Health Ministry.The chief ministers who attended the meeting included Arvind Kejriwal (Delhi), Pinarayi Vijayan (Kerala), Uddhav Thackeray (Maharashtra), E K Palaniswami (Tamil Nadu), Conard Sangma (Meghalaya) Trivendram Singh Rawat (Uttarakhand) and Adityanath (Uttar Pradesh). "At the video conference called by the hon'ble PM Modiji and hon'ble Home Minister Shahji. We have mooted to continue with the lockdown post May 3rd with relaxation on activities in Green Zones or non-COVID affected districts in Meghalaya," Sangma tweeted.The prime minister was wearing a white 'gamcha' (Indian stole for men) with green border. He has been using 'gamcha' to cover his face during such meets.Sources in the government had on Sunday indicated that besides discussing the way forward in dealing with the pandemic, the prime ministers and chief ministers could also focus on a "graded" exit from the lockdown.In a tweet on Monday, the Prime Minister's Office said Modi and the chief ministers will be discussing aspects relating to the COVID-19 situation.In his monthly 'Mann ki Baat' radio address on Sunday, the prime minister said the country is in the middle of a 'yudh' (war) and asserted that people have to continue being careful and take precautions.His note of caution came amidst gradual exemptions being granted by the Centre and states to revive economic activities. "I urge you not to get overconfident. You should in your over-enthusiasm not think that if the coronavirus has not yet reached your city, village, street or office, it is not going to reach now. Never make such a mistake. The experience of the world tells us a lot in this regard," Modi said while referring to a popular Hindi idiom 'Sawdhani hati, durghatna ghati' (disaster strikes when you lower your concentration). The Centre and the state governments have been giving gradual exemptions to boost economic activities as also to provide relief to people as some states want further relaxation in areas which have seen few or no coronavirus cases. NAB PYKPYK

PM Modi interacts with CMs on COVID-19 situation, lockdown exit strategy: Meghalaya to continue with shutdown post May 3

(Eds: Adding details) New Delhi, Apr 26 () Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said India's "people-driven" battle against COVID-19 is the only way for the country to overcome the pandemic, and asked people to shun any complacency that they will not be infected by the coronavirus because it has so far not affected the places where they live or work.In his monthly 'Mann ki Baat' broadcast, Modi said the country is in the middle of a 'yudh' (war) and asserted that people have to continue being careful and take precautions.His note of caution comes against the backdrop of the Union government and states relaxing lockdown norms to revive economic activities. "I urge you not to get overconfident. You should in your over-enthusiasm not think that if the coronavirus has not yet reached your city, village, street or office, it is not going to reach now. Never make such a mistake. The experience of the world tells us a lot in this regard," he said.Modi referred to a popular Hindi idiom 'Sawdhani hati, durghatna ghati' (accident happens when caution is lowered) to make his point. In his 30-minute address, Modi hailed states, emergency workers and civil society groups for their contribution in combating the pandemic, and said that the resolve shown by the people of the country has led to the beginning of a transformation with businesses, offices, educational institutions, medical sector rapidly undergoing new changes.With the country under a lockdown since March 24 midnight, he said India's people-driven battle against the pandemic will be discussed when the world discusses the crisis later. "India's fight against the coronavirus is people-driven in the truest sense of the term. Along with people, government and administration are fighting it as well... This is the only way we can win over the virus," he said. Citing a Sanskrit shloka, he said. "Fire, debt and illness, if taken lightly, grow again at the first opportunity, assuming dangerous proportions, so it is important to treat them completely. Therefore, in over-enthusiasm, there should be no negligence. We will always have to remain cautious."Lauding the contribution of people in terms of helping the poor with food and medicines, he likened the exercise with 'mahayagya' in which everybody is eager to contribute. "We are fortunate that today the whole country, each and every citizen of the country, every person is a soldier in this battle and also leading the battle," he said. India's decision to export medicines needed by several countries, including developed nations, has earned it praise from world leaders, Modi said, noting that it did so as part of its ethos.The prime minister said wearing masks will now become a part of a civilised society and also exhorted people to stop spitting in public places, saying it was high time to get rid of this "bad habit" once and for all.This will not only boost our basic hygiene standards but also help in preventing the spread of the coronavirus infection, he said. The health crisis, Modi said, has made the world pay special attention to Indian heritage of yoga and ayurveda as people look to them to boost their immunity.Modi expressed confidence that the world will acknowledge the significance of India's traditional medicine system in a similar way it adopted yoga, and lamented that hundreds of years of foreign rule have resulted in Indians failing to realise their own strengths. Everyone in this battle is putting up a fight as per one's capacity and ability, and altruism has gained in strength in recent years, Modi said, asserting that he bowed to this sentiment. He asked people to join 'covidwarriors.gov.in', a digital platform that links volunteers, health professionals, representatives of civil society and local administration with each other to take care of relief works. Over 1.25 crore people are already part of this portal, he said.Airlines have clocked a distance of over three lakh km under "Lifeline Udan" project to deliver over five hundred tons of medical supplies to different parts of the country, while the railways has been running more than 100 parcel trains on close to 60 routes, Modi added. He also greeted people on Akshaya-Tritiya and noted that holy month of Ramzan had also begun."We should pray more than ever before so that prior to the celebration of Eid the world is rid of the coronavirus and we celebrate Eid with enthusiasm and gaiety like earlier times," Modi said, urging people to adhere to guidelines of local administration.The pandemic, he noted, has changed the manner of celebrating festivals all over the world, including in India. People recently observed many festivals such as Bihu, Baisakhi, Puthandu, Vishu and Odia new year while staying indoors, he said.The fight against the epidemic has also given people a fresh perspective to look at the world around them with the importance of sanitary workers and neighbourhood shopkeepers being realised like never before, he said. People used to think negatively of police but a humane and sensitive aspect of policing has manifested itself now as uniformed personnel has been helping those in need, he added.The prime minister hoped that there may be some good news in the fight against the coronavirus during his next 'Mann ki Baat' episode, usually the last Sunday of every month. He reiterated his advice to people to maintain a distance of two yards from each other to keep healthy."Maintain a distance of two yards and keep yourself healthy. 'Do gaz doori, bahut hai zaroori'," he said. NAB/KR KR SMNSMN

Modi says India's fight against coronavirus people-driven, cautions against complacency

OPPO India, the Indian chain of Oppo, a leading global technology brand based in China and having presence in North America, Europe and Asia, will be the ‘Powered By’ sponsor of the eighth season of Bigg Boss, India’s most watched reality show. The show airs on the Colors channel, and is hosted by Bollywood superstar Salman Khan. 
 
The reality show, which enjoys the prime slot for approximately three and a half months, is all set for a huge budget of approximately Rs 150 crore this year as compared to the budget of Rs 120 crore last year. To break even, the advertising rates for this show have been set higher than most of its counterparts and 10-second advertising spots are selling for Rs 3.5-4 lakh, which is a record in itself. Prior to this, the highest ad spots were Rs 3 lakh for 10-second spots for advertising in-between the show Yudh, starring Amitabh Bachchan. The average advertising rates for daily shows are Rs 1.5 lakh for 10 seconds. 
 
Last year, the title sponsorship for Bigg Boss was for Rs 25 crore, which was paid by Vodafone, but this rate has also gone higher by Rs 10 crore. This year, SnapDeal has paid Rs 35 crore for the same. 
 
Talking about the new ‘Powered By’ sponsor, Oppo made its entry into the Indian market in early 2014. It is retailing in over 20 major cities and regions across the country. The company is on an aggressive service and network expansion spree, with a target of 200 service centres in the next one year. 
 
Commenting on the association, Tom Lu, CEO, OPPO Mobiles India, said, “It’s been our endeavor to establish a closer connect with the Indian society ever since we became a part of it. A hugely popular show like Bigg Boss on Colors will give us a platform to come closer to the Indian masses. During the show, viewers will get to know more about OPPO’s commitment to designing beautiful technology products with an open attitude and how OPPO’s range of innovative smartphones help create fun memorable moments. We wish the show enormous success.” 
 
Welcoming them to the eighth edition of Bigg Boss, Raj Nayak, CEO, Colors, said, “We are happy to announce our association with OPPO India as the Powered By sponsor for Bigg Boss Season 8 and are glad that OPPO has chosen Bigg Boss as a platform to launch their newest campaign. We look forward to building a positive relationship with the brand and strengthening our association.” 
 
Image courtesy: Facebook Fan Page

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PM to interact with CMs on Monday to discuss way out of lockdown, COVID fight

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PM Modi interacts with CMs on COVID-19 situation, lockdown exit strategy: Meghalaya to continue with shutdown post May 3

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Modi says India's fight against coronavirus people-driven, cautions against complacency

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Bigg Boss Season 8 Finds Its Sponsor In Oppo India

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