India all set for PM Modi's '9 pm- 9 mins' event today

Sale of diyas (earthen lamps) increased in India on Sunday after Prime Minister Narendra Modi appealed citizens to either light a candle, diya or flashlight at 9 pm to dispel the darkness and gloom brought by the rapidly spreading coronavirus.

"Sales of diyas have increased to 50 per cent and we also got orders. It has happened because of Modi ji's appeal. We are with him in this," news agency ANI quoted a shopkeeper as saying.

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"We were not getting customers due to lockdown. But from tomorrow, customers started coming to our shop. We also got some orders on the phone. I hope that we will get customers today as well."

Amid a nationwide COVID-19 lockdown, Prime Minister Modi asked the people to turn off all the lights in their homes and stand at doors or balconies and light candles or diyas, torches or mobile flashlights for 9 minutes on April 5.

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In Bihar's Patna as well, several shopkeepers reported sale increase in the market which are otherwise are deserted nowadays due to the lockdown.

"I have bought 50 diyas for today. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said that people have to light the diyas for nine minutes after switching off light at home," a resident of Patna said. 

Meanwhile, The total number of confirmed coronavirus case in India rose to 3,374 on Sunday, according to the data provided by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Out of these cases, 3030 are active cases, 267 have been cured or discharged while 77 others have succumbed to the deadly virus.

In a bid to see whether the coronavirus is getting transmitted in the hotspot areas, ICMR has set a fresh protocol for healthcare workers to start with a rapid antibody-based blood test for COVID-19.