Prime Minister Narendra Modi is returning today. The Prime Minister is scheduled to hold about seven to eight meetings a day after returning from a three-day visit to the European countries. Sources said that the Prime Minister will go to his office immediately after returning. On Thursday, he will preside over an important meeting to deal with the scorching heat in different parts of the country and to take stock of the preparations related to the monsoon.
It is noteworthy that mercury is rising rapidly in many parts of the country and the temperature has reached 45 degrees Celsius in many cities. Due to hailstorms and rain in some parts of the country including Delhi on Wednesday, people got some relief from the scorching heat.
According to the India Meteorological Department’s Monthly Weather and Climate summary, April this year ended as the third warmest in India in 122 years. This comes after March had remained the warmest over the same period. Prolonged and frequent heatwaves affected major parts of the country during April, taking the maximum temperatures at many places in west Rajasthan, east Uttar Pradesh, and west Madhya Pradesh, Vidarbha in Maharashtra to over 45 degrees Celsius.
Several places in the country had witnessed all-time high temperatures in April with the mercury leaping to 46-47 degrees Celsius leading to a severe heatwave. Delhi had recorded its second hottest April this year since 1951 with a monthly average maximum temperature of 40.2 degrees Celsius. The all-time high maximum temperature for the month of April in Delhi was 45.6 degrees Celsius in 1941.
A large number of fires were also reported in the country due to the scorching heat. Hundreds of forest fires broke out in Himachal Pradesh as the temperatures rose in the recent weeks. Last week, Modi had issued a stark warning about rising temperatures and the number of fires in landfills, garbage dumps, and forests. He had mentioned that the “’temperatures are rising rapidly in the country and we are seeing increasing incidents of fires in various places.” While speaking to the chief ministers, Modi had asked the states to prioritize fire-safety audits for hospitals, factories, and other buildings of public importance.
