Highlights

Following are the top stories at 9 pm: NATION DEL70 VACCINE-PRODUCTION-FIRMS Serum says will raise monthly production to 10 cr doses by Aug, Bharat Biotech promises 7.8 cr New Delhi: Amid multiple states reporting a shortage of COVID-19 vaccine, Serum Institute and Bharat Biotech have submitted to the Centre their production plan for the next four months, informing they can ramp it up to 10 crore and 7.8 crore doses respectively by August, official sources said on Wednesday.

By Payal Banerjee DEL25 VIRUS-ACTIVE CASES Active COVID-19 cases in country dip for second day New Delhi: India's total COVID-19 active cases dipped to 37,04,099 with a net decline of 11,122 cases in a span of 24 hours, the Union Health Ministry said on Wednesday.

DEL58 VIRUS-WHO-LD VARIANT Using term 'Indian variant' for B.1.617 strain has no basis, WHO has not done so: Health ministry New Delhi: Taking umbrage at the B.1.617 mutant of the novel coronavirus being termed an ''Indian variant'', the Union health ministry on Wednesday said the WHO has not used the word ''Indian'' for this strain in its document.

BOM6 GA-COURT-LD TEJPAL Goa court to pronounce verdict in Tarun Tejpal case on May 19 Panaji: A sessions court in Goa on Wednesday said it will pronounce the verdict in the Tarun Tejpal case on May 19.

DEL69 VIRUS-DRDO-LD OXYCARE Govt approves procurement of 1.5 lakh units of DRDO's 'Oxycare' system New Delhi: The government on Wednesday approved the procurement of 1,50,000 units of 'Oxycare' system, developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), for Rs 322.5 crore from the PM-CARES Fund to help in the treatment of COVID-19 patients.

DEL42 BJP-VACCINE Over 84 per cent vaccine doses sent abroad due to commercial, licensing liabilities: BJP New Delhi: The ruling BJP accused the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Wednesday of spreading misinformation on India's vaccination programme and said over 84 per cent of the vaccine doses sent abroad were part of the commercial and licensing liabilities of the two Indian manufacturers. DEL38 VIRUS-PERSONNEL- MEDICAL PRACTICE Centre allows employees with medical qualification to undertake practice, offer teleconsultation New Delhi: Citing the unprecedented rise in COVID cases in the country, the Centre on Wednesday allowed its employees with recognised qualifications to undertake medical practice or teleconsultation.

DEL73 VIRUS-RIVERS-LD CONTAMINATION Transmission of coronavirus through water is not a concern, say experts New Delhi: Experts on Wednesday said transmission of coronavirus through water is not a concern, after bodies of suspected COVID-19 patients were fished out of the Ganga and Yamuna.

BOM16 MH-VACCINATION DRIVE-TOPE Vaccine paucity: Maha suspends vaccination for 18-44 age group Mumbai: Due to the acute shortage of COVID-19 vaccines in Maharashtra, the state government on Wednesday decided to temporarily suspend its drive to vaccinate people in the age group of 18 to 44 and divert the available stock of doses for the above-45 age group, Health Minister Rajesh Tope said.

DEL72 OPPN-LD-PM 12 Oppn leaders write to PM Modi, demand free mass vaccination, suspension of Central Vista project New Delhi: Leaders of 12 opposition parties Wednesday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking a free mass vaccination campaign against coronavirus, and a suspension of the central vista revamp project to aid the fight against the pandemic.

LEGAL LGD5 SC-LD NAVLAKHA SC dismisses bail plea of activist Gautam Navlakha in Bhima Koregaon case New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday dismissed a plea of activist Gautam Navlakha, seeking bail in the Elgar Parishad-Maoist link case of Bhima Koregaon in Maharashtra. LGD12 DL-HC-VIRUS-BLACKMARKETING High time MRP of oxygen concentrators fixed to prevent black marketing, HC tells Centre New Delhi: The Delhi High Court Wednesday told the Centre it was ''high time'' that MRP of oxygen concentrators and other equipment in demand for COVID treatment was fixed to immediately stop their hoarding and black marketing FOREIGN FGN18 VIRUS-US-FAUCI-LD INDIA India opened up prematurely, Dr Fauci tells US Senators on COVID-19 crisis Washington: India made the ''incorrect assumption'' that it was finished with the COVID-19 pandemic and opened up prematurely that has left the country in such ''dire straits'', America's top infectious disease expert Dr Anthony Fauci has told senators.

By Lalit K Jha FGN42 CHINA-INDIA-POPULATION India may overtake China as most populous country sooner than UN projections of 2027: Report Beijing: Chinese demographers say India will become the world's most populous country earlier than the United Nations' projection of 2027, surpassing China where a steady drop in the birth rate has been recorded in the last few years.

By K J M Varma FGN6 US-INDIA-5G India's decision allowing 5G trials without Chinese companies a sovereign one: US Washington: India's recent decision authorising 5G trials without Chinese companies Huawei and ZTE is a sovereign one, a top State Department official has said, asserting that America is deeply concerned about the dangers of installing networks with equipment that can be manipulated, disrupted or potentially controlled by China.

By Lalit K Jha MA MA

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)