Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Saturday interact with various district magistrates to take their direct feedback on the progress and status of implementation of various government schemes and programmes, his office has announced.

In a statement, the PMO said, the meeting will be held via video conferencing at around 11am.

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The interaction is called to review the performance and ascertain the challenges that are being faced by the local officials, according to the release.

It is also aimed at achieving saturation of various schemes by various departments in the districts in mission mode, in convergence with all stakeholders, the PMO stated.

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The central government has continuously taken several steps to overcome the asymmetry in growth and development across the country under the leadership of PM Modi, the PMO also said. “The meeting is in line with the same commitment of the Centre towards raising the living standards of all citizens and ensuring inclusive growth for all,” it also stated.

The meeting comes at a time when the country is battling a fresh surge in COVID-19 cases, in which the number of daily cases has jumped to nearly 3.5 lakh. The last time the daily cases crossed the 3-lakh mark was during the second wave of the country in April last year.A

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On Friday, India recorded as many as 3,47,254 new cases of COVID-19, according to the Union health ministry data. The country also recorded 703 fatalities in a span of 24 hours, pushing the death toll to 488,396. The overall caseload stands at 3,85,66,027.

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The suggestion is based on scientific evidence and recommendation of the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation, Union health ministry additional secretary Vikas Sheel said in a letter sent to all states and Union territories.