9 pm, 9 minutes: PM Modi's mother Heeraben lights a lamp
As India switched off all the lights for 9 minutes at 9 PM today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's mother Heeraben, illuminated an earthen lamp after turning off all lights at her residence, as a mark of solidarity for COVID warriors. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday urged people to switch off the lights at their homes and light up lamps, candles or mobile phone torches for nine minutes at 9 pm on Sunday to display the country's "collective resolve" to defeat coronavirus.
Earlier, Heeraben Modi had donated Rs 25,000 from her savings for PM-CARES fund as India battles Coronavirus.
Lakhs of families across India heeded to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call to turn off electric lights and use candles, diyas and flashlights for nine minutes at 9pm on Sunday to commemorate the country’s fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.
The death toll due to the novel coronavirus pandemic rose to 83 and the cases climbed to 3,577 in the country on Sunday after 505 new infections were reported in the past 24 hours. The active COVID-19 cases stand at 3,219, while 274 people were either cured or discharged and one had migrated. Seven deaths have been reported in the past 24 hours, the health ministry data stated.
Meanwhile, the nine-minute lights-out event on Sunday evening went off well without any disruption in the electricity grid after the government and utilities put in place elaborate plans to deal with the sudden drop and then a quick spurt in demand.
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