The Centre had agreed to supply 50 tonne of oxygen a day to Madhya Pradesh on its request, said Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. The State has been facing a shortage of medical oxygen even as COVID-19 cases surge.
“Today on my request, the government of India has agreed to supply 50 tonne oxygen a day after which our availability has increased to 180 tonne a day,” Mr. Chouhan tweeted on Saturday, while thanking Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the assistance.
Also read: Madhya Pradesh making arrangements for adequate oxygen supply
Earlier, Maharashtra banned out-of-State supply of oxygen, which affected its supply from a Nagpur firm to parts of Madhya Pradesh, especially Jabalpur. Mr. Chouhan had requested his counterpart in the neighbouring State, Uddhav Thackeray, to ensure that the supply continued.
The present need of oxygen was 110 tonne a day in Madhya Pradesh, which had been receiving a supply of 130 tonne earlier. Mr. Chouhan said the State now had enough oxygen, according to the Public Relations Department.
Also read: Centre asks States/UTs to ensure free medical oxygen movement
In a bid to do away with the shortage, Mr. Chouhan directed oxygen plants within Madhya Pradesh, generating 50-60% oxygen against their installed capacity, to utilise it completely, and gave directions to ensure oxygen was not diverted for other purposes.
The Madhya Pradesh Public Health Services Corporation Limited has said the State planned to ramp up the availability to 200 tonne a day by September-end, which might cater to nearly 8,000 patients.
