NEWS

The Centre asked all states to monitor availability and prices of essential commodities amid a raging second wave of the Covid pandemic following “concerns” from some quarters, according to a communication sent to states from the consumer affairs ministries.

The consumer affairs ministry’s price monitoring cell is keeping an eye on prices and multiple wings are overseeing the demand-supply situation of daily-use items, including foodstuff, an official said.

Teams in the ministry have been holding a daily video conference with states on movement and availability of essential items.

Thousands and thousands of migrant workers gathered at Anand Vihar ISBT here to catch a bus home, hours after Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced a week-long lockdown and appealed to them with folded hands not to leave Delhi while sounding a word of assurance — "Main hoon na" (I am here for you). Police officials said over 5,000 people gathered at Anand Vihar including at ISBT as well as the railway station and the numbers were rising. Earlier in the day, Kejriwal appealed to the migrant workers to not leave Delhi, saying the short period of lockdown would need not be extended.

"I assure you, the government will take full care of you. Main hun na, mujh par bharosa rakho (I am here for you, have faith in me)," Kejriwal said, announcing the lockdown from 10 PM tonight to 5 AM next Monday. A senior police officer said after the sudden announcement of the lockdown, thousands of migrant workers throngedthe ISBT Anand Vihar area.

The Nagpur bench of Bombay High Court has directed the Centre and Maharashtra government to inform what parameters are followed for the allocation of Remdesivir injections. The court also directed the Maharashtra government to release about 10000 vials of the Remdesivir drug to Covid hospitals in Nagpur by 8 PM on Monday.

The high court issued these directions while hearing a suo motu public interest litigation (PIL) on issues pertaining to Covid-19 management in Nagpur. The court was informed by lawyers that the Remdesivir vial distribution was very poor in Nagpur district as compared to Thane district.

Delhi on Sunday reported an upsurge of 25,462 fresh coronavirus cases and 161 fatalities, the highest single-day tally since the beginning of the pandemic.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday said the positivity rate has gone up from 24 per cent to 30 per cent in just 24 hours due to fast pace in increase of Covid-19 infections and added that hospital beds, oxygen and life-saving drugs such as remdesivir and tocilizumab for patients are rapidly depleting in the city.

Kejriwal also said that there are less than 100 ICU beds available in hospitals to treat coronavirus patients.