Social Issues

HC orders Centre to include Remdesivir in scheduled drug list, regulate pricing. 

Bombay HC:

·        Both the Drugs Control Act and DCA ( Drugs & Cosmetics Act) enable the central government to issue a notification to fix rates of essential drugs during an epidemic. Till now, not a single drug has been added to the scheduled drugs, and “the Central government can now do so and fix the rates of Remdesivir.

·        If the powers conferred on the Central government are exercised, it will go a long way. It will stop extortion of money from families of COVID-19 patients and will also put a full stop to the black-marketing of the drug. The Centre should perform its fundamental duty by fixing the prices.

Social Issues

Centre allots 5 kg of grains free to poor

·        The Union government announced that 5 kg of foodgrains would be provided to 80 crore beneficiaries under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY).

·        The foodgrains will be allocated free-of-cost @ 5 Kg per person per month to nearly 80 Crore beneficiaries covered under National Food Security Act, 2013 (NFSA) over and above NFSA foodgrains.

·        It would be on the same pattern as the earlier PM-GKAY.

PM-GKAY( Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY):

·        PMGKAY is a part of Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package (PMGKP) to help the poor fight the battle against Covid-19.

·        It was announced for a three month period (April, May and June), covering 80 crore ration cardholders. It will come to an end on 30th June 2020.

·        The scheme aimed at providing each person who is covered under the National Food Security Act with an additional 5 kg grains (wheat or rice) for free, in addition to the 5 kg of subsidised foodgrain already provided through the Public Distribution System (PDS).

·        The beneficiaries are also entitled to 1 kg of pulse for free, according to regional preferences.