The PM CARES Fund would be used to procure 1 lakh portable oxygen concentrators, the government said on Wednesday.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi sanctioned the procurement during a meeting to discuss the liquid medical oxygen supply for COVID-19 management, the Prime Minister’s Office said. It said Mr. Modi ordered procurement at the earliest and sent to the States with high COVID-19 case burden.
It said 500 pressure swing adsorption (PSA) oxygen plants had been sanctioned under the fund, apart from the earlier sanctioned 713.
“These 500 PSA plants will be established with transfer of the indigenous technology developed by the DRDO and the CSIR to the domestic manufacturers. Establishing PSA plants and procurement of portable oxygen concentrators will greatly augment the supply of oxygen near the demand clusters, thereby addressing the current logistical challenges in transporting oxygen from plants to hospitals,” the statement said.
