In his address to the nation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi reiterated the need to remain safe by adopting physical distancing measures.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday announced that the free grain distribution scheme under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana will be extended by five months till the end of November. Modi made the announcement during his sixth address to the nation since the coronavirus pandemic began. Soon after this, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee extended the free distribution of grains till June 2021 in the state.

Modi observed that even though India’s mortality rate is one of the lowest in the world, people have become negligent in following physical distancing norms and wearing mask since the restrictions were relaxed.

India recorded 18,522 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday, taking the overall count to 5,66,840, according to the figures by the health ministry. The toll from the disease rose by 418 to 16,893. Over 3.3 lakh people have recovered so far.

The global coronavirus tally has crossed the one crore-mark, with 1,02,74,274 cases so far. The toll has risen to 5.04 lakh, according to the John Hopkins University .

source: http://www.scroll.in / Scroll.in / Home> The Latest> Live / by Scroll Staff / June 30th, 2020