Amit Shah holds meeting with MHA officials ahead of announcement of lockdown 4.0 guidelines

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday held several meetings with his ministry's officials ahead of the announcement of guidelines for the fourth-phase of the coronavirus-induced lockdown that begins from Monday, officials said.

Shah, who was in his North Block office for nearly five hours on Friday, held meetings with top officials of the ministry, including Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla.

Senior officials have been busy in finalising the guidelines for the fourth-phase of the lockdown, a home ministry official said.

However, details of Shah's meetings were not known immediately.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his address to the nation on Tuesday, had said that the lockdown 4.0 will have a "completely different form", with new rules.

Modi had also said the guidelines will come before May 18.

Officials said greater relaxations and flexibility will be seen in the lockdown-4, which will begin on Monday, with gradual reopening of railways and domestic airlines while powers will the given to states and union territories to define COVID-19 hotspots.

The final guidelines will be issued by the home ministry only after going through suggestions of state governments.

State governments and union territories administrations were supposed to submit their recommendations by Friday.