Steel companies from across the country, from both the public and private sectors, have stepped up efforts to meet the nation’s requirement of medical oxygen. Yesterday, the Total Liquid Medical Oxygen(LMO) Production by the Steel plants was 3680.30 MT, and Total LMO Supply was 4076.65 MT. In comparison, the LMO supply was 3131.84 Metric Tonnes to various states on the 25^th April 2021. In mid-April, on an average 1500-1700 Metric tonnes /day was being dispatched.

Minister of Steel and Petroleum &Natural Gas Shri Dharmendra Pradhan last week had held a series of meetings with captains of steel companies of both public and private sectors. He had called for doing everything possible to enhance supply of medical oxygen from steel plants and also for building jumbo-sized COVID-care facilities with oxygenated-beds to augment the healthcare infra.

Steel Authority of India, one of the largest domestic steel producers, has been enhancing its capabilities to supply Liquid Medical Oxygen in the country. The daily delivery of LMO from its integrated steel plants situated at Bhilai (Chhattisgarh), Rourkela (Odisha), Bokaro (Jharkhand), Durgapur and Burnpur (West Bengal) has been increased from a level of about 500 Metric Tonnes (MT) in the 2nd week of April to more than 1100 MT per day currently. The company has so far supplied over 50,000 MT of LMO. In the month of April, 2021, SAIL delivered more than 17500 MT LMO to 15 states across the country including the states in which the plants are located.

14 “Oxygen Express” trains carrying more than 950 MT LMO have been loaded by yesterday for various parts of the county from SAIL plants at Bokaro, Rourkela and Durgapur. SAIL plants have also received tankers, which have been airlifted and after loading have moved to their destinations by road and rail. The railways, air force, steel plants and oxygen plants are coordinating the efforts of transporting the tankers. 4 cryogenic tankers have been airlifted by Indian Air Force from Perth, Australia today.

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YB