New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday that the poor and labourers have been hit the hardest by the coronavirus crisis and that their pain cannot be explained in words.

In his monthly 'Mann ki Baat' broadcast, Modi said all classes of people have suffered during the pandemic but it is the poor who have suffered the worst.

Everyone is working to help them, he said, and highlighted the railways' exercise to transport huge numbers of migrant workers to their home.

The prime minister also asked people to be "extra careful" and stick to precautions like maintaining social distance and wearing masks as the economy gradually opens up.

He noted that a big part of economy has reopened, with railway and air traffic being resumed partially and set to be scaled up in the coming says.

"You need to be extra careful now," he said.

The problem suffered by the poor during the crisis has been a reason for introspection and served lessons for future, he said, noting the it has underscored the pain of the country's eastern region which has lagged behind other regions in development.

The pandemic has hit every corner of the world and India is also not untouched by it, he said as he spoke about the pain of the people.

Modi noted how India has fared much better than many parts of the world in fighting the pandemic and also lauded innovative spirit and the sense of service shown by people in different parts of the country.

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Nagpur (PTI): Akola in Maharashtra has recorded the highest temperature in the country at 46.9°C, while Nagpur and several other parts of Vidarbha reeled under a severe heat wave, MeT officials said on Monday.

Heat wave conditions are expected to persist across parts of the state's Vidarbha region till Tuesday, as maximum temperatures may reach 45 to 46 degrees Celsius and touch 47 degrees Celsius at isolated locations, they said.

On Sunday, Akola recorded 46.9 degrees Celsius, the highest temperature in the country, followed by Amravati at 46.8 degrees Celsius, according to the India Meteorological Department's Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) in Nagpur.

Wardha sizzled at 46.4 degrees Celsius, Yavatmal logged 46 degrees Celsius, Nagpur scorched at 45.4 degrees Celsius, while Chandrapur recorded 45 degrees Celsius, as per the data.

Akola, Amravati, Wardha, Yavatmal, Chandrapur and Nagpur experienced heat wave conditions, while several other districts reported above-normal temperatures, RMC scientist Dr Praveen Kumar told PTI.

The prevailing above-normal and persistently high temperatures over Vidarbha can be attributed to an anticyclonic circulation over Maharashtra and adjoining areas. At the same time, hot and dry northwesterly winds have been continuously affecting the region, he said.

In addition, weak western disturbances and the absence of moisture incursion or any significant weather systems have contributed to the intensification of heat over the region, the official said.

As per the Met department, heat wave conditions are likely to continue at a few or isolated places over the region till Tuesday.

The IMD has issued an 'orange' alert for Akola, Amravati and Wardha and a 'yellow' alert for Nagpur, Chandrapur and Yavatmal for Tuesday, saying that the maximum temperatures are likely to reach 45 to 46 deg C and possibly up to 47 deg C at isolated locations.

A relief from the heat wave is expected thereafter and the mercury is likely to dip by 2 to 3 deg C, with the possibility of rainfall and gusty winds in the coming days, it added.

The IMD grades the severity of any weather system through colour-coded alerts – green (no warning), yellow (be aware), orange (be prepared) and red (take action).