Bhubaneswar, April 3 : Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Thursday appealed the house owners to waive off or at least defer the rent by 3 months in view of the lockdown due to the deadly COVID-19. "It is time for everyone to be there for each other as the entire country is under lockdown & fighting an unprecedented pandemic of #COVID19. Appeal to house owners to be compassionate to poor & waive off or at least defer the rent by 3 months. Let's show the world that #OdishaCares," tweeted the Chief Minister. He said tenants should not be asked to vacate for non-payment of rents during this crisis period. "The world is facing an unprecedented crisis with COVID-19. The country as a whole is under lockdown and we as a state are leaving no stone unturned in fighting this humanitarian challenge. Let each one of us rise up and be there for each other during these hard times," said the Chief Minister. /IANS