Rumors about a lockdown in India are completely false, Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said on Thursday, “clearly stating” that the government is not considering such a proposal. Amid the ongoing global crisis, the government urged people to remain calm and said spreading rumors at a time like this was “irresponsible and harmful.”
Puri’s clarification of the widespread speculation over the lockdown came soon after he was informed of the government’s decision to reduce customs duties on petrol and diesel amid disruption in global energy supply due to the ongoing war between Iran and the United States.
The global situation remains in flux, he said in a post on X, and “we are closely monitoring developments across energy, supply chains and commodities in real time.”
Under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi, all necessary steps are being taken to ensure uninterrupted availability of fuel, power and other vital supplies to our citizens, Puri said.
He added that we are fully prepared to deal with emerging challenges.
“India has consistently demonstrated resilience in the face of global uncertainties, and we will continue to act in a timely, proactive and coordinated manner,” he said.
Lockdown rumors after PM Modi’s speech
India witnessed a nationwide lockdown in 2020 after the COVID-19 pandemic was declared. Speculations of a similar lockdown have emerged again after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent speech in Parliament in which he addressed the ongoing crisis in West Asia due to the ongoing war between Iran and the United States.
Several posts claimed that PM Modi was hinting at a possible lockdown and the hype led to searches like “is lockdown coming back in india” and “lockdown news in india”.
However, while the Prime Minister referred to the Covid-19 pandemic during his speech, it was only to point out how India is handling the global crisis. He urged people to remain “prepared and united, just as they stood together during the COVID-19 pandemic,” but he never mentioned the term “lockdown” during his speech.
The confusion appears to have spread due to ongoing concerns over LPG supplies and fuel saving measures in some countries.
On March 24, the day the government’s lockdown announcement completed six years, another such case gained momentum in India, even though the country is not facing a major coronavirus threat anymore.
