BHUBANESWAR: Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan on Saturday requested the Centre to allocate additional 19 pressure swing adsorption (PSA) medical oxygen plants for Odisha.
Making the request to Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan in a letter, Pradhan said the PSA plants are required in view of the widespread impact of Covid-19 second wave in Odisha.
“I request your personal intervention in setting up of 19 PSA medical oxygen plants in 15 districts as proposed by the State government. The timely action will help save precious lives of people living in different parts of Odisha,” Pradhan said.
He proposed two PSA plants each for Balasore, Balangir, Ganjam and Mayurbhanj and one each for Cuttack, Deogarh, Dhenkanal, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Khurda, Koraput, Mayurbhanj, Puri, Rayagada, Sambalpur and Sonepur.
“The setting up of these plants on a war-footing will go a long way in supporting the Covid-19 treatment of patients across Odisha,” the letter said.
The new PSA plants are required in addition to 21 plants being set up by the central agencies in the State. It has been decided to set up seven PSA plants each in different districts of the State by DRDO, Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas and the Centre.
Pradhan said Prime Minister Narendra Modi accorded emergency approval for installation of 551 dedicated PSA plants in public health facilities across the country from PM CARES Fund. This is in addition to the 162 PSA plants allocated earlier.
As the country is facing one of the toughest battles against the second wave of Covid, the Prime Minister has bolstered the ongoing concerted drive against the pandemic by taking several critical initiatives and crucial decisions to extend all possible assistance to states, he said.