The Union Home Minister Shri Amit Shah today virtual inaugurated nine Oxygen plants set up by the Vallabh Youth Organization (VYO) in Gujaratand complimented VYO for their humanitarian work. Vallabh Youth Organization head, World Guru Shri VrajrajkumarMaharajji, the Chief Minister of Gujarat, Shri Vijay Rupani and other dignitaries were also present on the occasion. In his address, Shri Amit Shah said that in the second wave of Covid-19, the virus started changing its form very rapidly and it badly affected people’s health. He said that we achieved collective success in controlling it in a very short time and taking it towards its decline. The Union Home Minister said that if we make an analysis, then even in the developed countries of the world, the system seemed to be crumbling, but here in India, under the able leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, we organized a battle against it.

Shri Amit Shah said in the second wave many people lost their loved ones and many had to stay in hospital for a long time. Expressing condolences to the families of those who lost their loved ones in the second wave, the Home Minister said that he prays to God to give strength to the bereaved families to bear the loss. Shri Amit Shah said that in this calamity, the way in which frontline workers, doctors, nurses, NGOs and volunteers have worked for society and unwell persons and for the poor, forgetting their own interests, I thank them all. It is because of their efforts that this fight has reached this stage. Shri Shah said that many voluntary organizations across the country have contributed in whatever way they could. When workers were returning to their homes, thousands of voluntary organizations made elaborate arrangements for their food, water, accommodation and transportation to their destinations. The government alone could not have done this work.

Shri Amit Shah said that in this effort, Vallabh Youth Organization, under the aegis of Shri VrajrajkumarMaharajji, nine Oxygen plants are being inaugurated in Tilakvada, Sagbara, Sola, Daskroi(Ahmedabad), Kalavad (Jamnagar), Kapadvanj, Mehsana,Bhanwad(Dwarka) and Porbandar. Shri Shah said that VYO is a unique organization which is making a huge and successful effort in social service by mobilizing the youth of the Vaishnava sect from across the country and the world. He said that perhaps VYO is the first voluntary organization which has installed 29 Oxygen plants.

The Union Home Minister also said that when the second wave came, Oxygen was the biggest challenge. He said that normally India needs 1,000 MTof Oxygen per day which increased to 10,000 MT. After the demand shot up by 10 times, it was a big challenge to meet supplies in a month’s time, but under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, the Government of India and all the State Governments accepted this challenge and started a battle against it. Wherever there were industrial Oxygen plants across the country, they were closed and diverted towards medical oxygen. Simultaneously, the work of linking sites where there were medical oxygen plants with the Railways was started. Cryogenic tankers were brought from all over the world and they were sent by trainsacross the country. About 15,000 MTof Oxygen was transported through Railways. Empty cryogenic tankers were transported by military aircraft to plants. Most of the oxygen is produced in the Eastern and Western regions of the country, reducing the geographical distance and bringing it to the whole country was achieved. Along with this, setting up of Oxygen plants at a fast pace was also started.

Shri Amit Shah said that after the first wave of COVID-19, the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi approved 162 PSA plants from the PM Cares Fund. The Prime Minister approved 1051 more PSA plants in 2021. Simultaneously, the Ministry of Petroleum& Natural Gas and the Ministry of Steel also planned to set up 100 PSA plants. In the coming days, 300 more Oxygen plants will be installed. The Union Home Minister said that jumbo hospitals with a capacity of more than 12,000 beds were built in 15 days at 21 steel and power plants and refineries across the country.He said that around 1 lakh Oxygen concentrators were purchased from thPM Cares Fund. The Indian Railways, the Air Force, the Army and scientists also did a great job.

Shri Amit Shah said that today this pandemic is slowly on the downslide. The number of unwell persons has started decreasing and the number of patients returning home after recovery is going up. Today the requirement of Oxygen has also come down from 10,000 MT earlier to 3,500 MT. He said that the work of vaccination is progressing in full swing. The work of vaccinating 21 crore people has been done in a very short time. Shri Shah said that India has vaccinating at the fastest pace in the world in record time. In the future, it will be further accelerated. He said that it is the intention of the Prime Minister that our nation, with such a large population, should have a universal vaccine shield in the shortest possible time. Shri Shah said that he is confident that India will definitely achieve this goal.

The Union Home Minister also said that the Gujarat government has also done a very good job and very quicklyduring thepandemic. A lot of arrangements had to be made overnight, be it building new temporary hospitals, providing Oxygen or getting medicines from all over the world, the Gujarat Government has done a wonderful job in every field. He said that public and voluntary organizations have also contributed a lot in this and the more voluntary organizations cooperate in the battle ahead, the easier the work of the Government will be.

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