Ensure free flow of oxygen: PM Modi

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday interacted with the Chief Ministers of 10 States suffering the worst of the countrywide Covid-19 cases. The meeting via video conferencing comes on a day India touched a new record of 3.32 lakh cases and 2,263 deaths in a span of 24 hours.

During the interaction, Modi directed all States to ensure that no oxygen tanker, meant for any State, is stopped or gets stranded.

Modi said this after Delhi Chief Arvind Kejriwal complained that some States were stopping medical oxygen from being supplied to the national capital.

The Prime Minister called for working together to fight the pandemic with collective power. He said the biggest basis of India's success during the first wave of the pandemic was our united efforts and united strategy and reiterated that we will have to address this challenge in the same way.

Modi assured Centre's full support to all the states and in this fight. He added that the Health Ministry is also in touch with the states and is monitoring the situation closely and issuing necessary advices to the states from time to time.

On oxygen supply, the PM took note of the points raised by the states.

He said there is a continuous effort to increase the oxygen supply. All the concerned departments and ministries of the government are also working together. Industrial oxygen has also been diverted to meet immediate requirements.

Modi also urged all States to work together and coordinate with one another to fulfil requirements relating to medicines and oxygen. He urged the States to check hoarding and black marketing of oxygen and medicines.

The Prime Minister urged the states to set up a high-level coordination committee to carry oxygen to different hospitals of the state.

This Coordination Committee should ensure that as soon as there is allotment of oxygen from the centre, it can deliver oxygen as per requirement in different hospitals of the state immediately.