Covid-19 crisis: States urge PM Modi to extend lockdown but relax norms

As cases of Covid-19 spike, most states, including those ruled by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), have asked the Centre to extend the lockdown by at least two more weeks and also sought more relaxations across all three zones to revive the economy.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had earlier this week asked the states to send suggestions on their respective strategies for lockdown 4.0, which comes into force from Monday. He had said the new norms will be shared in advance, and the contours of lockdown 4.0 would be different from the previous ones. The lockdown was first enforced on March