On Tuesday, June 30, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the nation via video, touching upon various facets of the country's ongoing efforts to fight the novel coronavirus outbreak.
Speaking at the address Modi emphasised that nobody was above the law -- not even the Prime Minister.
"Remember, nobody is above the law. Not the village sarpanch nor the prime minister of the country," he said. Modi underscore his point by notig that in another country even the Prime Minister had been fined for violating rules that had been put in place to curb COVID-19.
For those amongst us who are a bit baffled by this statement, Modi is talking about Bulgarian Prime Minister Boïko Borissov who had recently been fined for entering a church without wearing a mask.
As per an EuroNews report that quotes the country's health ministry, the rule mandating the use of facemasks in public indoor spaces had been recently reinstated. It must be noted, that it was a rule brought in by Borissov's own government.
As per the Health Ministry of Bulgaria, "a fine will be imposed on the prime minister, his staff and journalists", and it could amount to as much as €150.
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Modi announced new relief measures, extending the free ration scheme -- Pradhan Mantri Gareeb Kalyan Yojna-- for the poorer stratas of society until November.
India has so far recorded more than 5.6 lakh positive cases, of which over 2.15 lakh remain active. As per the Indian Health Ministry data, 16893 people have died.
