Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) was lauded in the Supreme Court on April 30 by Sumita Dawra, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, who is heading the oxygen procurement and supply coordination tram at the Centre.
The manner in which the RIL unit in Jamnagar has produced liquid medical oxygen (LMO), amid the onset of second COVID-19 wave, is an "eye-opener", she told the apex court bench headed by Justice DY Chandrachud.
"It's an eye-opener for me as an administrator to see how Reliance Industries Limited Jamnagar has produced LMO and now it has gone up by another 700 MT" Bar and Bench quoted Dawra as saying during the court proceeding.
The RIL tweaked manufacturing at its oil refineries, based in Gujarat's Jamnagar, to produce over 700 tonnes a day of medical-grade oxygen which is being supplied to states severely hit by COVID-19, news agency PTI reported on April 20.
The supplies being made to states like Gujarat, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh is expected to provide relief to over 70,000 critically ill patients per day. The company plans to raise medical-grade oxygen production capacity to 1,000 tonnes, sources had told PTI, without giving a timeline.
Also Read: Fighting the pandemic: Reliance Foundation to set up 1,000-bed COVID hospital in Gujarat
The oxygen supply facilitated by Reliance, along with the efforts taken by Tata Group, Jindal Steel, Indian Oil Corporation and Bharat Petroleum has also drawn praise from the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT).
"We might have some differences with corporate India but at a time when these people have stood up for the nation, extending gratitude to them is all the more necessary," the CAIT said on April 25.
Apart from increasing the oxygen supply, RIL is also setting up 1,000-bed COVID-19 hospital in Jamnagar. A total of 400 among those beds would be operational by May 2, the Gujarat Chief Minister's Office (CMO) said on April 28.
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