PM Narendra Modi to address the nation at 8 pm today

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the nation today at 8 pm, amid speculations about lockdown 4.0. PM Modi's address comes a day after his meeting with chief ministers over the Covid-19-induced lockdown. Taking to Twitter, the prime minister's office said, "PM Modi will be addressing the nation at 8 PM this evening."

Shri @narendramodi will be addressing the nation at 8 PM this evening.

— PMO India (@PMOIndia) May 12, 2020

This will be PM Modi’s fifth address to the nation on the Covid-19 lockdown. In his March 19 address, the prime minister announced a "janta curfew" on March 22. On March 24, he announced a 21-day nationwide lockdown. On April 14, he extended the lockdown period till May 3. On April 3, in a video message, Modi asked the nation to light lamps for frontline corona warriors on April 5. India is in the third phase of lockdown which will end on May 17.

The lockdown was further extended till May 17 by the Home Ministry.

On Monday, PM Modi held a video conference meeting with Chief Ministers of all states to discuss the road ahead in India's fight against the novel coronavirus. He said the need was to reduce the transmission rate of Covid-19 and to increase public activity gradually while adhering to all the guidelines. "I am of the firm view that the measures needed in the first phase of lockdown were not needed during the second phase and similarly the measures needed in the third phase are not needed in the fourth," the Prime Minister.

PM Modi has asked states to send in suggestions for changes to the current rules by May 15.

Meanwhile, the death toll due to Covid-19 rose to 2,293 and the number of cases climbed to 70,756 in the country (as of 8 am) today, according to the data by Union health ministry. The highest number of 23,401 confirmed cases is from Maharashtra, followed by Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Delhi, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.