Jammu, March 18: The Jammu and Kashmir government for Ladakh region on Wednesday issued an advisory to the people not to rush in J&K bank branches for depositing electricity bills amid coronavirus outbreak. The government stated that power supply will not be disconnected.

Issuing a notification, Department of Information and Public Relations said, as quoted by ANI, "Public may not rush in J&K bank branches for depositing electricity bills. Bills may be submitted when situation gets normal. Power supply will not be disconnected for not depositing bills on due date." RBI Appeals People to Opt for Online Transactions Amid COVID-19 Spread, Says 'Non-Cash Digital Payment Options Are Available Round The Clock'.

Here's the ANI tweet:

Earlier on March 16, Reserve Bank of India issued a similar statement and asked all banks to take appropriate measures. RBI also asked the banks to put in place business continuity plans to prevent any disruption of services due to the rising cases of deal with coronavirus outbreak.

It said, "As you are aware, the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the recent outbreak of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) a pandemic indicating significant and ongoing person-to-person spread in multiple countries, with the uncertainty about the extent of spread and the likely impact on the global economy. Several confirmed cases have also been detected in India, which highlight the need of a co-ordinated strategy for handling the emerging situations for protecting the resilience of the Indian financial system."

The RBI had also appealed people to opt for digital transactions and non-cash digital payment options to help country combat from COVID-19. The RBI even informed that non-cash digital payment options are available round the clock to facilitate fund transfers, purchase of goods or services, payment of bills, etc.

The total number of coronavirus cases in India rose to 147 as on Wednesday at 9 am. According to an ANI tweet, the numbers shared by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare comprises of 122 Indian nationals and 25 foreign nationals. Maharashtra continues to be the worst affected state in India with a total of 42 cases. One more person tested positive for COVID-19 in Pune.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 18, 2020 03:34 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).