Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a meeting on Tuesday with top officials to review the COVID-19 situation in the country. The empowered group charged with increasing oxygen supply said the production of liquid medical oxygen (LMO) in the country had increased from 5,700 tonnes a day in August 2020 to 8,922 tonnes now. The domestic production of LMO is expected to cross 9,250 tonnes a day by the end of April.
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A Press Information Bureau statement said Mr. Modi instructed officials to work closely with the State governments to start the PSA oxygen plants at the earliest. The Prime Minister was briefed about the Oxygen Express trains as well as the domestic and international sorties carried out by the Air Force to transport oxygen tankers.
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The Empowered Group working on Medical Infrastructure and COVID management informed the Prime Minister on efforts being undertaken to ramp up availability of beds and ICUs. IT informed the Prime Minister on efforts being break the chain of transmission. Mr Modi stressed on the need to ensure that specific guidelines and strategies evolved regarding COVID management needs to be properly implemented by the relevant agencies in the States.
Other members present in the meeting included the Cabinet Secretary, Home Secretary, Secretary Road Transport and Highways, Secretary Information & Broadcasting, Secretary Pharmaceuticals, Member NITI Aayog, Director General, Indian Council of Medical Research; Secretary, Department of Biotechnology.
