• By Aalok Sensharma
  • Sun, 19 Apr 2020 10:04 AM (IST)
  • Source:JND

New Delhi | Jagran News Desk: Amid the spiking number of coronavirus cases in India, Union Home Minister Amid Shah on Saturday chaired a meeting with top officials and took a stock of the situation in the country amid the COVID-19 lockdown.

The meeting was attended by the two Ministers of State for Home - G Kishan Reddy and Nityanand Rai besides Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla and senior officials.

A Ministry of Home Affairs official said that Shah reviewed the working of a 24x7 control room set up to monitor the coronavirus pandemic and coordinate with states and union territories.

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Shah was also apprised about the steps taken by the home ministry to provide support to migrant workers who are stranded in different parts of the country, the official said while adding that he was also briefed about the supply chain of essential commodities.

"The home minister reviewed the working of MHA control room and reviewed COVID-19 situation in various states in a meeting with officers," a home ministry spokesperson said, as quoted by news agency PTI.

"The control room is operational 24x7 and is coordinating with states as well as with various ministries of central government," the official added.

To control the coronavirus pandemic in the country, the Home Ministry has set up a 24x7 control room to coordinate with the states. The central control room is linked with state control rooms.

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The MHA has also issued an advisory, saying that it would be necessary for each state and union territory to set up a 24X7 control room/office with helplines at state and district level to address any grievance or undue problems faced by the providers of goods and services including during inter-state movement.

A lockdown has been imposed in the country to check the spread of the novel coronavirus that has claimed the lives of over 500 and affected more than 15,000 in India so far.

In order to control the spread of the virus, the government has imposed a nationwide lockdown till May 3 and is urging people to practice social distancing.

(With PTI and ANI inputs)