Prime Minister Narendra Modi has issued the confirmation that the nationwide lockdown would be extended beyond May 17 and he left the nation with the hints after announcing that the fourth phase of the lockdown would be of a new form with the new rules, unlike its preceding ones. 

Addressing the nation on Tuesday which has become his fifth national address concerning the Coronavirus outbreak, the Prime Minister took the prospect to impulse the nation's fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. In his address, that begun at 8 pm and lasted for nearly thirty minutes, Modi announced the special economic package of Rs 20 lakh crore with the view of shaping the country 'self-reliant' in its battle against the virus. He said that this package includes the financial measures already announced by the Government of India and the Reserve Bank of India.

This special stimulus has been announced under the 'Self-Reliant India Scheme' (Atma Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyan). According to the Prime Minister, this economic package is almost 10% of India's GDP and it will aid and support the different corridors of the economy and the country. Modi said that this package will concentrate on land, labor, liquidity, and law and it will largely aid the farmers, laborers, MSMEs, tax-payers, and industries. 

Modi's announcement of moving the nation towards the fourth phase of the lockdown has been based on the reflection of the current state of the outbreak in the country as the cases have been soaring high each day. The Prime Minister stated that the lockdown 4.0 will be different with new rules and expressed his confidence that the country will move forward while fighting the pandemic through the new rules. 

The new form of the lockdown would be announced before May 18 and the suggestions from the Chief Ministers would be the larger player in drafting the lockdown extension. The Prime Minister noted that the country can't remain confined and people must wear masks and maintain social distancing. Modi said that humanity won't accept the defeat from the coronavirus and people have to stay safe and move forward. 

The Prime Minister highlighted that the aim is to make India self-reliant and the country's self-reliance is based on five pillars - economy, demography, system, infrastructure, and demand. "Today when the world is facing trouble, India has to strengthen the resolve and its resolve would be victorious against this crisis", he added.

Modi's hint of 'new form' has made the nation to delve and to get prepared on what could be yet another extraordinary measure in India's fight against the pandemic. It has let the speculations swirl over moving towards the fourth phase. According to the reports, Modi has clarified that the complete exit from the lockdown in one shot at this juncture is not possible.

However, the Center might relax the restrictions in the green and orange zones by letting these zones to resume its operations and these relaxations would be poured in the areas that are not severely affected as the lockdown will be staying in place in some form or the other. The red zones and hotspots will less likely have relaxation and some of the restrictions like a night curfew from 7 pm to 7 am and ban on the public transports would likely continue in the Red zones, which are designated to have more affected cases. 

Scientists say that #Corona will be a part of our lives for a very long time. But we can't let our lives remain confined around Corona. We will wear masks and maintain social distancing but we will not let it affect us. So lockdown 4 will be in a new form with new rules: PM Modi pic.twitter.com/X4L5aJ6b3e

— ANI (@ANI) May 12, 2020

The Center would come up with the new form of the containment strategy filled with new rules to identify, contain, and prevent the rise of the virus hotspots. The country has already seen the initial phase of the restoration of the transportation channels as the Railways had resumed the services by operating 15 trains initially and the Center might re-open the services of metro and air transports. The Chief Ministers will be outlining their suggestions to the Center before May 18. The Central government will be issuing the guidelines of the lockdown 4.0 on May 18 during which the nation would know the lifetime of the extended lockdown.

Narendra Modi's address has come a day after he held the virtual meeting with the Chief Ministers to formulate the road ahead for the nation after the current spell of the lockdown, which hits the deadline by May 17. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will be holding a press conference at 4 pm on Wednesday - May 13, during which she will announce the details of the special economic package.

Also read: Lockdown 4.0? PM Modi to address the nation as the Center bats for the extension!