DW BUREAU / CHANDIGARH Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Wednesday advised owners of sweet shops in the state to give free masks to customers on Raksha Bandhan.The appeal comes four days after Singh had announced that sweet shops will be allowed to remain open on August 2, a day before the Raksha Bandhan festival, despite the lockdown in place on Sunday in the state. The Deputy Commissioners have been asked to advise the owners of sweet shops in their respective districts to give a pair of masks free of cost with the purchase of sweets in order to promote and popularise the use of masks, a government statement said. Similar advisories may also be issued to owners of other shops for giving free masks on purchase of Rakhis, Singh said.The Chief Minister has already warned of an increase in the fine amount on violation of the mandatory rule of wearing masks. Among the first states to impose fine on those not wearing masks when venturing out of their homes, Punjab is currently imposing a penalty of Rs 500 in every instance of violation. However, with a large number of violations being reported from many districts, the chief minister has said the amount can be hiked further if people do not behave responsibly. Punjab on Wednesday reported a record 25 COVID-19 deaths on a single day and 568 coronavirus positive cases, taking the infection tally in the state to 14,946. Ten deaths were reported from Jalandhar, nine from Ludhiana, three from Amritsar, two from Gurdaspur and one from Patiala, the state's daily medical bulletin said on Wednesday. With this, the death toll jumped to 361 in the state, as per the bulletin. Ninety-five cases were found in Ludhiana, followed by 86 in Patiala, 77 in Amritsar, 45 in Jalandhar, 35 each in Gurdaspur and Barnala, 31 each in Fatehgarh Sahib and Mohali, 30 in Sangrur, 21 in Tarn Taran, 15 in Pathankot, 13 in Moga, 11 in Rupnagar. (editor@dailyworld.in)