From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network
Bengaluru, May 21: Union minister for chemicals and fertilisers D V Sadananda Gowda, who is also the minister for pharmaceuticals, said Karnataka will be getting the lion’s share of 4.25 lac vials of Remdesivir anti-viral injections from May 24 to May 30.
Addressing a joint news conference with state deputy chief minister and Covid Task Force chief Dr C N Ashwath Narayan in Bengaluru on Friday, he said the higher quota for Karnataka has been decided based on a large number of active infection cases in the State.
Gowda said the Centre has granted licences for five new pharma companies for the production of Amphotericin B injections with the higher incidence of Muormycosis or Black Fungus cases in the country. The grant of licences to five additional pharma companies was in addition to the companies already producing the drugs in the country.
3 lac vials of Amphotericin B injections are being imported through Mylan Pharma company. As many as 40,000 vials of the Amphotericin B injections will be reaching India on Saturday and efforts are being made to increase the production.
The union minister said over 500 tonnes of liquid oxygen is being supplied to Karnataka through Oxygen Express Train from Odisha and Jharkhand stages.
With a view to preventing delays in train supplies, he said the use of oxygen produced by Jindal Steel company in Ballari in Karnataka itself has been discussed with union railway minister Piyush Goel and he has given principal approval, Gowda said.
The deputy chief minister and the union minister expressed concern over the surge in Covid infections in the rural parts of Karnataka and emphasized the need for following the Covid guidelines on compulsory wearing of masks and adhering to social distancing norms.
In addition, it is necessary to admit the people infected with the Covid virus to exclusive Covid Care Centres as home isolation of such persons in their homes would be difficult. It is necessary to convert community halls or other buildings into Covid Care Centres for treating such persons, they said.
The union minister said the Narendra Modi government has declared a subsidy of Rs 14,775 crore on fertilisers to farmers.
Dr Narayan said the state government has sufficient stocks of medicines for the black fungus infections and appreciated the Centre’s support in providing the necessary medicines.
Karnataka already has a stock of 1.7 lac doses of vaccines as against the second dose requirement of 1.9 lac persons, he said adding that the state government was keen to provide at least the first dose to all the eligible persons in the state.
Excise minister K Gopalaiah, Bengaluru Development Authority chairman, S Vishwanath and Bengaluru North district BJP president, B Narayana were present.