New Delhi, Jun 12 (IANS): Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold a video conference with Chief Ministers of different states and Union Territories on June 16 and June 17 about the future of lockdown and the current situation of the pandemic.

All states and UTs are divided into two groups and two days are dedicated so that the Prime Minister can listen to all the Chief Ministers, say official sources. Sources also add that Delhi, which has been witnessing a sudden spike in numbers, will feature on the second day.

There have been at least five such interactions so far with the fifth one taking place on May 11. It was this virtual interaction where West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was in a fiery mood. That interaction took place ahead of the expiry of lockdown 3.0 which was to end on May 17.

India has 1,41,842 active Covid-19 cases and 8,498 deaths, as of Friday evening. With lockdown 5.0, which is widely touted as Unlock 1.0, kicking in, the Covid numbers in many states have rapidly started to spike, which has become a cause of concern for the Centre as well as the states. Already, Central teams are being deputed to provide technical support and handhold the state Health Departments and municipal health officials in reviewing steps being taken to tackle Covid-19 in six key metros -- Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Chennai, Kolkata, Delhi and Bengaluru.

The lockdown, enforced on March 25, was originally supposed to end on April 14. It was then extended to May 3, and then again to May 17. The lockdown 5.0 will come to an end on June 30.