Hindustan Times (Delhi)

Demand for Shramik trains sees a decline

- Anisha Dutta letters@hindustant­imes.com Leroy Leo letters@hindustant­imes.com

nNEWDELHI: Shramik special trains that began operating from May 1 for transporta­tion of stranded migrant labourers may be on their final leg of operation with demand for them reducing from the states. Thus far, 5.7 million stranded migrants have been ferried back home in 4,155 trains.

Rail minister Piyush Goyal has said the trains will be operated till the demand from the states remain. On Sunday, the Railways operated only 69 Shramik trains. On Tuesday only 102 Shramik trains operated till 10 am, officials said. “The demand for trains has reduced and only a very few trains are running as mostly all stranded migrants have been sent. The operation may soon be over,”a rail ministry official said on condition of anonymity. The trains were launched on May 1.

Western railways on Tuesday said only two shramik trains operated from Mumbai Suburban area. Western railways operated 1,214 Shramik Trains thus far ferrying 18,23,826 people to their desired destinatio­ns, it said.

Till Monday, the railway received a request for only 321 more trains from various states.

The railway board chairman wrote to states on May 29 asking states to provide details of migrants still wanting to return and provide their demands for trains to the ministry.

Railway board chairman, Vinod Kumar Yadav , in a press conference last week had said the demand for these trains is declining from the originatin­g state.

Nearly 1,524 Shramik Specials were operated from May 22 to May 28 and ferried two million passengers. On May 20, as many as 279 trains ran.

Last week, originatin­g states asked for 923 trains for migrants, but the number stood at 450 as of last Thursday, he said adding that the trains will continue to run as long as states will request.

nNEW DELHI: Drug Controller General of India VG Somani has approved the use of Gilead Sciences Inc’s novel drug remdesivir to treat covid-19 patients, Lav Aggarwal, joint secretary in the health ministry, said on Tuesday.

“The DCGI gave an emergency use permission for remdesivir... and this was based on evidence thatwaspro­videdbythe­company to support its use against covid-19,”aggawalsai­datapressc­onference.

Aggarwal said further details on the protocols for use of the intravenou­s drug will be provided by the government in due course.

In India, Gilead has given voluntary licence for production of remdesivir to Cipla, Jubilant Life Sciences, Hetero Drugs and Mylan under a royalty-free arrangemen­t till an alternativ­e drug is found or until the World Health Organizati­on removes the designatio­n of ‘Public Health Emergency of Internatio­nal Concern’ for the covid-19 pandemic.

Gilead’s remdesivir was earlier under trial for Ebola, but the drug could not pass clinical trials. However, the covid-19 pandemic has given a fresh life to the drug, which experts have said is complex to manufactur­e.

Gilead Sciences Inc Monday said that its phase 3 clinical trial in hospitalis­ed patients with moderate Covid-19 pneumonia showed that a five-day treatment course of remdesivir resulted in greater clinical improvemen­t as compared to standard care alone.

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