As coronavirus cases are once again on a rise, there is a need for some changes to be made soon. To talk about the situation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the nation yesterday.

One major decision that the Centre has taken is to allow everyone over the age of 18 from May 1 to get vaccinated against Covid. About 50 per cent of the total vaccines are reserved for the central government and the remaining 50 per cent for state governments and private companies.

The Prime Minister said the government has been working since last year to ensure that the maximum numbers of people are vaccinated in a short period of time. He clarified that India was vaccinating people at a world record pace and would continue to do so.

Some major points from yesterday are:

Maharashtra is gearing up for a lockdown. It was said that CM Uddhav Thackeray will announce his decision soon.
Exams are getting postponed or cancelled due to the situation. UGC-NET December 2020 cycle (May 2021) exam has also been postponed.
Not wearing a mask, violating social distancing and other Covid norms will lead to a fine. On a single day, 2175 challans were issued.
Till today, 13 crore people have been vaccinated. The process is going at a record pace with the numbers increasing every day.
Assam will be vaccinating citizens between 18 to 45 years, for free. Funds from Assam Arogya Nidhi will be put to use.
PM Modi urged all the states to keep Lockdown as the last resort and focus on micro-containment. We should try and avoid lockdown.
The main focus of Modi’s speech was the Indian citizens. He urged everyone to take a call and work together in making a difference.
The PM advised the youth to come forward. Make small committees and ensure everyone adheres to COVID regulations.
He stressed 'Jan bhagidari' or public participation. This will help in curbing the virus soon, said the PM.
We aim to save lives and to ensure that as many people can get the vaccine. From May 1^st, the vaccine will be available to 18 years and above as well.
The demand for oxygen is high in several regions across India. We're working on these demands. Every govt wants to ensure that oxygen is provided to everyone.
While we're trying to save as many lives as possible, we're also trying to ensure economic activities remain smooth as well.
"The urban workforce will now benefit from the vaccination as well. We will also provide vaccination swiftly to the workers," said the PM.
In the speech, he thanked the medical workers, frontline workers, sanitation staff and others who worked relentlessly during this difficult time.

It was added that the government will allow the imported ready-to-use vaccines to be utilised in the private sector and state facilities. Centre, from its share, will allocate vaccines to states/UTs based on the criteria of the extent of infection (number of active Covid cases) and performance (speed of administration).