Kerala is oxygen surplus, supplying to four neighbouring states : Pinarayi Vijayan
Thiruvananthapuram/IBNS: Kerala is supplying oxygen to four neighbouring states--Goa,Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Lakshadweep to help them fight the oxygen crisis amid steep rise in coronavirus cases, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said Tuesday.
Kerala invested in state PSUs to increase oxygen production capacity, allowing it to go oxygen surplus when other states are facing acute oxygen shortage, he said.
"A mineral separation unit was installed at the KMML at the cost of Rs 10 crore after LDF government came into power. While the KMML had registered a profit of Rs 3 crore in 2015-16, in 2017-18 the profit jumped to a record Rs151 crore," he said.
"In 2018-19, the profit was Rs 163 crore and even in the midst of a severe crisis, the unit achieved a profit of Rs 42 crore in the 2019-20 financial year, ” he added.
In a Twitter post, he also highlighted the increased oxygen stock in Kerala "from 99.39MT in 04/20 to 219MT in 04/21" and "hiked production from 50L/min to 1250L/min".
Kerala is set to tackle 2nd wave of #COVID19. Universal vaccination, specialised hospitals, enough ICUs & ventilators and adequate O2 supply are essential in this battle. Increased O2 stock/day from 99.39MT in 04/20 to 219MT in 04/21. Hiked production from 50L/min to 1250L/min.
— Pinarayi Vijayan (@vijayanpinarayi) April 20, 2021
Currently, Kerala has over 1.03 lakh active coronavirus cases and has recorded nearly 5,000 covid deaths so far.
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