COVID-19: PM Modi chairs meeting to review supply of medical oxygen with leading manufacturers

New Delhi [India], April 23 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday chaired a meeting via video conference to review the supply of medical oxygen acoss the country amid concerns expressed by some states that their supply of the life-saving gas is running short with a number of hospitals sending out SOS.

Participants of the meeting included Reliance Industries Limited Chairman Mukesh Ambani, MD of Air Water Jamshedpur Noriyo Shibuya, Naveen Jindal of Jindal Steel and Power, Rajesh Kumar Sharaf (NOL), M Banerjee of LINDE, Sajjan Jindal of JSW, SAIL' Chairperson Soma Mondal, Dilip Oommen (AMNS) and Siddharth Jain (INOX).

Today, Prime Minister Modi held the 4th review of scenario on Oxygen in the last one week. Earlier ones were held on April 16,17 and April 22.

Earlier, the Prime Minister held a meeting with chief ministers of states with high burden of coronavirus cases.

"PM Modi urged all states to work together and coordinate with one-another to fulfil requirements relating to medicines and oxygen. He urged the states to check hoarding and black marketing of oxygen and medicines. The PM said that every state should ensure that no oxygen tanker, whether it is meant for any state, is stopped or gets stranded, the official statemnt said.

"The Prime Minister urged the states to set up a high-level co-ordination committee to carry oxygen to different hospitals of the state. This Coordination Committee should ensure that as soon as there is allotment of oxygen from the centre, it can deliver oxygen as per requirement in different hospitals of the state immediately," as per an official statement. 

PM informed the Chief Ministers that yesterday he chaired a meeting on oxygen supply and will be attending one today to discuss all the options for increasing the oxygen supply.

Today was Prime Minister’s 3rd meeting with CMs in last 5 weeks. Earlier ones were held on 17th March and 8th April.

Amid a severe shortage of oxygen across the country in the wake of increasing COVID-19 cases, steelmaker Jindal Steel & Power Ltd (JSPL) has on Thursday announced that more than 500 tonnes of liquid oxygen is available at its Angul plant.

"We have more than 500 tons of liquid oxygen readily available at our Angul plant. Apart from this, we can provide 100 tonnes/day to any government that needs it. We will continue to support the nation in all possible ways in this war against the pandemic. Jai Hind," JSPL chairman Naveen Jindal said in a tweet on Thursday.

"20 MT Liquid Medical Oxygen tanker ready to be dispatched to Telangana from JSPL Angul. Tomorrow, we will also be sending tankers of liquid oxygen to Batra Hospital, Medanta and Artemis Hospital in Delhi/NCR along with Telangana and Madhya Pradesh," he added. Indian Railways is also running 'Oxygen Express' trains to transport liquid medical oxygen and oxygen cylinders across the country.

As many as 2,263 deaths and 3,32,730 fresh COVID-19 cases were reported in the country in the last 24 hours - the highest single-day spike since the pandemic broke out last year.

This is the second consecutive day that the country has reported over 3 lakh cases. (ANI)