PM Narendra Modi addressed the country today on his monthly radio pogramme Mann ki Baat.

The war against COVID-19 pandemic has become a people's movement in the country and the people are rising to the occasion to help each other, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said today. This "people driven" fight against the virus would be "be discussed in the future", he said, adding "I bow down to you all". The Prime Minister also acknowledged the contribution of the state governments, saying, "They have played a very active role".

"City or a village, everywhere we can see people involved in the fight against the pandemic. While some are feeding the poor, others are selling land to raise money for this fight, yet others are contributing their pension," PM Modi said in his monthly radio address Mann ki Baat today.

The country has so far recorded 1,990 coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours - its biggest single-day spike so far - taking the total to 26,496, Of this, 824 patients have died, data from the Union Health Ministry shows.

On April 14, the Prime Minister had announced an extension of the lockdown. On the occasion, he had also applauded the people's "restraint, penance and sacrifice".

He had also made it clear that the state governments had pressed for an extension of the lockdown.

"The state governments of the country have also acted with great responsibility in this, managing the situation round the clock... I have been in continuous touch with the states on how the fight against Corona should progress in India. Everyone has suggested that the lockdown should be continued. Many states have in fact already decided and declared to continue the lockdown," he had said.