E-Paper
Covid-19: MHA details steps taken to enhance oxygen supply
The ministry also announced that 5,805 metric tonnes of Liquid Medical Oxygen (LMO) will be imported into the country from countries like UAE, France, Kuwait, Singapore and Bahrain
The Ministry of home affairs (MHA) announced a slew of measures put in place by the Centre to enhance oxygen availability. It said on Tuesday that one lakh oxygen concentrators will be procured under the PM-Cares fund. The ministry added that 374 tankers of 7,049 MT capacity have already been airlifted into the country.
The decision to procure oxygen concentrators under PM-Cares was taken after Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave a go-ahead for the same at a high-level meeting held in early April. The Prime Minister had instructed that oxygen concentrators should be procured at the earliest and given to states with high Covid-19 caseload.
The ministry also announced that 5,805 metric tonnes of Liquid Medical Oxygen (LMO) will be imported into the country from countries like UAE, France, Kuwait, Singapore and Bahrain. The UAE is a major contributor from whom 3440 MT LMO will be imported, it added.
The MHA also mentioned the contribution of the Indian Air Force (IAF) in procuring essential medical supplies for the country from abroad, stating that 81 cryogenic oxygen storage containers of a total capacity of 1,407 MT have been imported. The IAF has also airlifted 1,252 empty oxygen cylinders, 705 oxygen concentrators, and Zeolite (respiratory oxygen raw material), from Singapore, Dubai, Thailand, United Kingdom, Germany, Belgium, Australia, Indonesia and Israel, according to a government release.
The ministry also talked about the contribution of the Indian Railways in the country’s fight against Covid-19, stating that 157 oxygen express are being run to transport 637 LMO tankers all over the country. The Indian Railways has transported 4700 MT of LMO in more than 295 tankers to states all over the country till May 10.
India on Tuesday recorded 329,942 new cases of Covid-19, marking a slight decline in the daily number of cases. 3,876 new fatalities were also recorded in the last 24 hours, taking the country’s Covid-19 death toll to 249,992.
