# Oxygen supplies

• Oxygen stocks at several hospitals in the National capital region dipped to alarming lows following disruptions of supplies from haryana on wednesday.

• Haryana has a cummulative capacity of 270 MT liquid oxygen per day with a plant each in Faridabad and Panipat.

• The quota of oxygen to Delhi has been increased from 170 MT to 210 MT.

# Covid-19 vaccination

• Covaxin phase 3 trial shows vaccine has 78% efficacy. Earlier, it has showed an efficacy of 81%.

• ICMR on wednesday said only a small fraction of people who had been vaccinated by either covaxin or covishield had tested positive for covid-19.

• Of the 9.3 million who received the first dose of covaxin, 4208 tested positive and of the 1.7 million who received the second dose, 695 tested positive.

# Press freedom index

• The world press freedom index , 2021 produced by reporters without borders (RSF), a french non governmental organisation.

• This index has ranked India at 142nd out of 180 countries.

• This is despite the fact that for a year, on directions from cabinet secretary Rajiv Gauba, an index monitoring cell worked to improve the rankings, even holding a meeting between the Indian ambassador to France and the RSF officials to lobby for a change in the ranking.

# USCIRF

• The US commission on international religious freedom (USCIRF), an independent bi-partisan commission, has recommended for the second year in a row.

• It has recommended that the state department put India on a list of countries of particular concern or CPCs for the worst violation of religious freedom in 2020.

• Out of the 10 USCIRF commissioners only one had presented a dissenting view.

# MSP via bank transfer

• The farmers for the first time have started receiving the MSP payment directly in their bank accounts under the direct benefit transfers scheme.

• The government data show 5385 crore had been transferred in the ongoing procurement season by the central and state procurement agencies to farmers purchase of their crops in both the states.