'There Shall Not Be Lockdown': FM Sitharaman Says Local Level Isolation Will Be India's Strategy

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that the government would not go for lockdowns in a big way and will rely on local containment in a virtual meeting with World bank group president David Malpass according to report published in Economic Times.

She shared the measures being adopted by India to contain the spread of the second wave of the pandemic, including the five-pillared strategy of test-track-treat-vaccination and Covid-19 appropriate behaviour.

"Even with the second wave, we are very clear that we are not going in for lockdowns in a big way. We don't want to totally arrest the economy. The local level isolation of patients, or households which have people in quarantines are the methods through which the crisis will be handled, the second wave will be handled. There shall not be lockdown," she told Malpass.

Sitharaman lauded the World Bank initiatives to increase the lending space for India to enhance the availability of finance for development and infrastructure.

Finance minister shared step taken by Indian government such as distribution of LED bulbs, ethanol blending programme under National Bio-Fuel Policy, voluntary vehicle scrapping policy, incentivisation of electric vehicles to achieve green, resilient and inclusive development.