# Covid announcement

• The union government on friday announced that 5 KG of foodgrains would be provided to 80 crore beneficiaries under the pradhan mantri garib kalyan anna yojana (PMGKAY) in may and june.

• The announcement came as Prime minister Narendra Modi held a meeting with the chief ministers, especially of the states with a high case burden.

•  The outlay for the free grain programme has been pegged at 26000 crore rupees.

• Prime minister Narendra Modi assured the states that all resources, including those of the railways and the Indian air force were being deployed to reach oxygen to different corners of the country.

# Sterlite plant

• Chief justice of India Sharad Arvind Bobde on friday voiced anguish at Tamil Nadu’s objection to reopening Vedanta’s sterlite copper plant in Thoothukudi to produce medical oxygen.

• CJI was visibly exasperated when senior advocate Colin Gonsalwes informed the court how the Tamil Nadu advocate general had stated in the Madras high court on April 22 that ” we are an oxygen surplus state”.

# AFMS

• Amid reports of oxygen shortage during the second wave of covid-19, the armed forces medical services (AFMS) has decided to import mobile oxygen generation plants and containers from Germany the defence ministry said on Friday.

• The ministry also decided to give an extension to short service commissioned doctors in AFMS till December 31,2021.

• Twenty three mobile oxygen generation plants are being airlifted from Germany. These will be deployed in AFMS hospitals catering to covid-19 patients.

# Virafin

• The drug controller general of India (DCGI) on friday granted emergency use approval for pharma major Zydus cadila’s Antiviral drug “Virafin” to treat moderate covid-19 in adults.

• A single dose subcutaneous regimen of the antiviral virafin will make the treatment more convenient for the patients.

• The drug’s safety profile is already well known as it is used in treating people with Chronic hepatitis B and C.

# Covishield

• Preliminary studies show that people who have been vaccinated with covishield have protection against the double mutant variant (B.1.617) first round in India.

• Researchers at the Hyderabad based centre for cellular and molecular biology (CCMB) found that protection against the double mutant variant was also seen both when convalescent plasma from people who have been infected and have already recovered was tested in the lab.