The foundation stones of 140 LPM PSA oxygen plant at Dr Radhakrishanan Government Medical College, Hamirpur and another 140 LPM PSA oxygen plant at CHC Ghumarwin in Bilaspur district were laid by the Himachal Government on Monday.
Each LPM PSA plant would provide uninterrupted oxygen supply to 30 beds each facility.
MP Rajya Sabha and national BJP president Jagat Prakash Nadda, Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur and Union Minister of State for Finance and Corporate Affairs Anurag Singh Thakur virtually laid the foundation stones of the two projects.
While addressing the event from New Delhi, Nadda said that when most of the national political parties has gone under virtual quarantine, the BJP, through its “Sewa Hi Sangathan” has come forward to help the people of the state in fighting the pandemic and mitigating the sufferings of the common man.
He said that the Corona pandemic is one of the biggest tragedies of the century thus the efforts required were to be big. Free ration was provided to about 80 crore people of the country both during the first wave last year and also during the second wave this year. Similarly, crores of farmers of the country have been benefitted under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana, he said.
As many as 9,26,963 eligible farmers of the state have been provided assistance of Rs. 1355.80 crore under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojna till now, Nadda said.
The Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur said that the state had only around 200 active cases of Covid as on February 23 and thereafter second wave struck the state.
He said that the State Government is leaving no stone unturned to ramp up the testing. To increase testing in the far-flung and rural areas, as many as 70 ambulances have been deployed by the Government in various districts, he said.
Thakur said that on March 1, 2021, the state had only 11 dedicated Covid hospitals with a bed capacity of 440 beds with 32 ICU/ventilator beds, but the state added 46 more facilities with a bed strength of around 3500 beds and more than 250 ICU/ventilator beds. N
He further said that the State Government has provided about 23.59 lakh doses of vaccination to the people in the state. Himachal is one of the few states of the country to achieve zero percent wastage of vaccination, he added.
Speaking on the occasion, Union Minister of State for Finance and Corporate Affairs Anurag Singh Thakur said that an oxygen bank would be set up in Himachal Pradesh which would provide uninterrupted oxygen supply to 700 beds.
He also said that JP Nadda would flag off the first consignment of 108 oxygen concentrators and 160 oxygen cylinders for this oxygen bank.
HP CHIEF MINISTER INAUGURATES MAKESHIFT COVID HOSPITAL IN SOLAN
Himachal Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Monday inaugurated makeshift Covid hospital at Radha Soami Satsang Beas Centre at Rabon in Solan district constructed at a cost of Rs 3.90 crore.
“This makeshift hospital would have 200 piped oxygenated beds facility and would go a long way in providing better treatment to Covid patients. 100 doctors, staff nurses and other paramedical staff had been made available for taking care of the patients. A laboratory has also been set up in this hospital for rapid testing,” the Chief Minister said virtually from Shimla.
He said that CCTV cameras have been installed in this hospital for monitoring the conditions of the patients. For the entertainment of patients, a centralized TV screen had been set up in this hospital.
Thakur said that this hospital had been completed within a record time of 14 days as work on this had been started on May 17. About 200 labourers had been pressed into service for completion of this hospital, he said.
The Chief Minister further said that the total focus of the State Government has been on tackling the Covid pandemic effectively. Radha Soami Satsang Beas had helped the State in fighting the Covid pandemic in a befitting manner by providing their properties for setting up of Covid makeshift hospitals at Mandi, Paraur and Solan, he added.
Thakur also said that it was due to the efforts of the State Government that the Central Government has enhanced the oxygen quota of Himachal from 15 MT to 40 MT.