As many as 850 oxygen plants are being set up in various districts from the PM Cares Fund, DRDO chief C Satheesh Reddy said Monday, as India emerges from the second wave of coronavirus which caused a major medical oxygen crisis across the country.
Oxygen relief by 421 Oxygen Expresses reached to 15 states namely Uttarakhand, Karnataka, Maharashtra and others.
The plants were inaugurated on Saturday, in a virtual ceremony, in the presence of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Health Minister Satyendar Jain, and Roshni Nadar Malhotra, Chairperson of HCL Technologies.
Union Minister Smriti Irani on Saturday inaugurated an oxygen production plant at the district hospital in Amethi, her parliamentary constituency, officials said.
"To cater to the requirements of oxygen supply for multiple patients during the ongoing COVID pandemic, Tukroo PHC in Shopian district becomes the first in J&K to get multi-feed OMS technology," an official spokesman said.
A prominent private hospital in Uttar Pradesh's Agra was closed by authorities on Tuesday after its owner was allegedly caught on audio bragging about how the hospital shut off oxygen supply on April 27 for five minutes in a "mock drill" amid what the owner purportedly claimed was an acute shortage of oxygen at his hospital during a raging Covid surge in the western UP town, and elsewhere in the state.
Legendary Indian sprinter Milkha Singh, who recently contracted COVID-19 infection, was on Thursday admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of a top hospital in Chandigarh due to "dipping levels of oxygen".
Earlier, on May 10 the INS Airavat had arrived in Visakhapatnam with eight cryogenic oxygen tanks and approximately 4,000 oxygen cylinders along with other critical medical equipment/supplies from Singapore.
The private facilities in the state can now avail the benefits of the government's special package, wherein the minimum investment criteria has been relaxed.
A Delhi court on Saturday granted bail to businessman Navneet Kalra in the oxygen concentrator black-marketing case, saying that he has clean antecedents and will not tamper with the evidence.
These plants have been built under the Corporate Social Responsibility programme in collaboration with Maruti Suzuki India Limited.
Speaking to IANS, YK Jethwa, ADG Law and Order of Odisha police said, "Advanced planning was done and standard operating procedure was prepared for ensuring unhindered Oxygen movement, while ensuring the safety of oxygen production centres, tankers, drivers and other staff." Jethwa said that each tanker was moved under close supervision and escort of Odisha Police.
As per the report, the chief minister is scheduled to visit the Vinayak Oxygen plant here today at 11:30 am.
INS Trikand is among the nine ships deployed for COVID relief Operation ‘Samudra Setu II’ for bringing LMO.
So far, 224 'Oxygen Express' trains have completed their journey and brought relief to various states, while 8 others, loaded with over 563 tonnes of liquid medical oxygen in 35 tankers, are currently on their way, it said.
Maharashtra Government has approved a special financial incentives package for industries setting up new oxygen manufacturing plants, a senior official said on Friday.
As the second wave of Covid -19 witnessed several Covid-19 patients dying due to the non-availability of oxygen, Megha Engineering and Infrastructures Limited (MEIL) has swung into action to address the oxygen gap in the system.
Railway ministry officials said that 208 Oxygen Expresses have completed their journey so far and brought relief to various states.
A bench comprising of Justices Vipin Sanghi and Jasmeet Singh emphasised that it is the duty of the Centre and the Delhi government to ensure that all the preparations are made against the backdrop of scientists predicting the virus may raise its ugly head again, hitting the people badly.
Comedian VIP talks to India TV about his COVID19 lockdown plans
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