Oxygen Shortage In India Taking a lead in responding to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s clarion call for increasing production in medical grade oxygen in a country, Gujarat State Fertilizers & Chemicals Limited has provided the much-
needed respite by starting the manufacture and dispatch of 99.8% pure liquid oxygen at its facility in Vadodara.
From April 12, 2021 onwards, the company has been supplying medical grade oxygen in this difficult time of the Corona pandemic. The company’s management has decided that this medical oxygen supply should be provided free of cost under its CSR initiative, and accordingly, all the supplies from 12th April onwards will be treated on free of cost basis.
GSFC is the first company to respond to the need to divert industrial oxygen for medical purpose. During any emergency, natural disaster, etc., the company has always stood by the local administration/state government in carrying out duty as a good corporate citizen.
“GSFC has modified certain capabilities in their manufacturing operations on a war-footing basis to fill 35 Dura cylinders, each of 200 litres, which are being dispatched every day,” said a company official. Almost 20 critical Covid-19 patients can be provided support through a single Dura cylinder per day, he added.
For the last few days, GSFC through its air separation unit in the Caprolactam plant had started supplying liquid oxygen in Dura cylinders. Against the daily need of about 150 tonnes of medical oxygen, GSFC is likely to supply about 10 tonnes a day.
The Prime Minister has directed officials to ensure smooth and seamless movement of tankers carrying oxygen throughout the country. The government has exempted all interstate movement of oxygen tankers from the registration of permits to enable easier movement.
Last year, taking a lead in Prime Minister’s Aatma Nirbhar Bharat initiative, GSFC initiated plans to invest Rs 1500-2000 crore for rolling out as many as 21 products where India has a strong dependency on imports, including China.
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