Chennai, March 21: The initiatives taken by the Tamil Nadu government towards preventing the spread of coronavirus in the state have come in for praise from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Modi called Chief Minister K Palaniswami over phone on Saturday and congratulated him on the measures taken to control spread of the virus.

The chief minister thanked Modi and explained in detail the series of measures taken by his government in the state, an official release said. Palaniswami informed Modi that his nine-point agenda would be followed in Tamil Nadu during the Janta Curfew on Sunday. 'Janata Curfew' Messages on Twitter and WhatsApp Stickers Go Viral as Indian Citizens Pledge to Support PM Narendra Modi's Suggestion to Fight Coronavirus.

Pitching for 'social distancing', the Prime Minister had on Thursday called for a 'Janta Curfew' from 7am to 9pm, saying no citizen, barring those in essential services, should get out of their houses, and asserted that it will be a litmus test to show India's readiness to take on the coronavirus challenge.

The Tamil Nadu government as part of initiatives to control spread of the virus has declared holidays to educational institutions across the state till March 31 besides shutting down shopping malls and places were people gather in large numbers.

Meanwhile, Palaniswami informed the Assembly on Saturday that the Class X board exams scheduled to be held between March 27 and April 13 would be postponed. "These examinations will take place after Tamil New Year Day (April 15)," he said.

However, Palaniswami said the Class XI and XII board examinations were going on and they would be conducted as per schedule. In another development, the Busines Advisory Committee of the Assembly which met today decided to curtail the ongoing session, saying it would end on March 31 instead of April 9. Following the spread of coronavirus, the opposition including the DMK has been requesting the government to cut short assembly proceedings.

However, Palaniswami said the government was providing adequate safety measures to the legislators who come to take part in the assembly proceedings. The BAC which decided to hold the ongoing session till March 31, a release said.