There's enough oxygen stock but transportation is challenge: Govt

Amid the huge medical oxygen crisis that several states are facing, a senior government official on Monday said that there is enough oxygen at present but its transportation is a challenge.

In a joint press conference on the COVID-19 situation, Piyush Goyal, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs, informed that the Centre and state governments are working together to minimise the time taken in the transportation of oxygen through tankers.

"There is no need to panic. I assure you that at present union government and state governments have enough oxygen. Transportation is a challenge, as the demand for tankers suddenly grew. The Centre and state governments are working together to minimise the time of transportation," Piyush Goyal, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs, said at a joint press conference on the COVID-19 situation.

"India is ordering oxygen tankers from abroad on a purchase or hiring basis. Using real-time tracking, we are monitoring the movement of oxygen tankers," he added.

Meanwhile, responding to Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh's plea for help in the war-like COVID-19 situation, the Western Command of the Indian Army on Monday extended all possible help, including medical staff and medically trained combatants, to Punjab to meet the exigent shortage in hospital, along with support in reviving the state's old oxygen plants that are currently lying defunct.

Lt Gen R.P. Singh, AVSM, VSM, GOC-in-C, Western Command, at a virtual meeting of the Chief Minister with senior command officials, also offered to provide staff to run the 100-bed Covid facility proposed to be set up in the building loaned to the state government by the CSIR for the purpose.

On the other hand, Empowered Group-3 chaired by NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant reached out to more than one lakh Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) on Monday to deliberate on coordinated strategies to navigate through the impact of the recent surge in COVID cases.

India is seeing a surge in COVID-19 cases and reported 3.52 lakh new cases in the last 24 hours. This is the highest single-day spike since the onset of the pandemic.