West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is likely to skip the virtual meeting called by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday to discuss the ongoing Covid-19 situation in the country with the Chief Ministers of all states.
Sources said West Bengal Chief Secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay will attend the meeting on Banerjee’s behalf as the Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief would be busy campaigning for the ongoing assembly elections in the state, as reported by PTI.
Prime Minister Modi is expected to discuss via video-conferencing the ongoing vaccination drive during the meeting, which comes in the wake of the steep rise in fresh Covid-19 infections.
Coronavirus Live Updates: Night Curfew In UP's Ghaziabad, Noida, Lucknow & Other Cities Amid Rising Covid-19 Cases
The Prime Minister had during his last interaction with the Chief Ministers on March 17 expressed concern over the rise in Covid-19 cases in the country and called for quick and decisive steps to check the emerging second peak.
The meeting assumes significance as India registered a record single-day spike of 1,26,789 new COVID-19 cases, pushing the country’s infection tally to 1,29,28,574.
Ten states, including Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Kerala and Punjab, have shown a rise in the Covid daily new cases. 84.21% of the new cases are reported from these 10 states, the Union Health Ministry data showed.
Maharashtra has reported the highest daily new cases at 59,907 followed by Chhattisgarh with 10,310 while Karnataka has reported 6,976 new cases.