India deploys seven warships to transport large oxygen containers | India News

INS Talwar with 40 metric ton of liquid medical oxygen is on its way to Mumbai from Manama in Bahrain

NEW DELHI: India has now deployed seven warships to transport liquid oxygen-filled cryogenic containers and medical supplies from abroad, even as around 600 additional doctors are being mobilized by the armed forces as part of their ongoing efforts against the Covid-19 pandemic in the country.
Stealth frigate INS Talwar with 40 metric ton of liquid medical oxygen is already on its way to Mumbai from Manama in Bahrain under Operation Samudra Setu-II, while destroyer INS Kolkata is at Doha in Qatar to embark medical supplies.
“INS Kolkata will then head to Kuwait to embark oxygen tankers. The second batch of ships, INS Kochi, INS Trikand and INS Tabar, which were mission deployed in Arabian sea have also been diverted to join the national effort,” said Navy spokesperson Commander Vivek Madhwal on Saturday.
“Similarly, amphibious warfare ships INS Airavat and INS Jalashwa have been deployed on the eastern shipboard. The former is scheduled to enter Singapore for embarking oxygen tanks, while the latter is standing by in the region to embark medical stores at short notice. The Navy has the surge capability to deploy more warships as and when needed,” he added.
IAF’s heavy-lift aircraft like C-17 Globemaster-III and IL-76 also continue to transport empty cryogenic containers from aboard as well as within the country. The aircraft have so far carried out 158 sorties within the country, airlifting 109 containers with a total capacity of 2,271 metric tons. They have also undertaken 28 sorties from abroad to transport 47 containers with 830 metric ton capacity.
At a review meeting in Delhi, the military brass also briefed defence minister Rajnath Singh that about 600 additional doctors are being mobilized through special measures such as recalling to duty those who retired in the last few years.
The Army has made over 720 beds available for civilians in its hospitals in different parts of the country, while the Navy has also deployed 200 battlefield nursing assistants.
“The minister was also briefed that the 500-bed hospital being set up by DRDO in Lucknow will start functioning in the next two to three days. Another hospital at Varanasi is likely to be up and running by May 5,” said an official.
DRDO chairman Dr G Satheesh Reddy, in turn, said the first four of the proposed 380 “oxygen pressure swing adsorption” plants being manufactured under the PM CARES fund will be deployed in hospitals in New Delhi by next week.The Navy and IAF, in turn, have supplied around 500 portable oxygen cylinders from their stores to various civilian hospitals.