Amid a shortage of oxygen to treat Covid-19 patients at hospitals in India, Uttar Pradesh chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday virtually inaugurated the state’s largest oxygen plant in Modinagar, Ghaziabad.
The plant, commissioned by INOX Air Products (INOX), one of India’s largest manufacturers of industrial and medical gases, has a capacity of 150 tonnes liquid medical oxygen per day. It has been set up as part of an agreement signed between the Uttar Pradesh government and INOX AP during the ‘UP Investors’ Summit 2018’ on February 21 and 22, 2018. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had laid its foundation on July 29, 2018.
With the commissioning of this greenfield plant, UP’s oxygen production capacity has now increased from 115 tonnes to 265 tonnes per day.
Commissioned with a project outlay of Rs 135 crore, the new plant will generate 150 direct and indirect employment opportunities in the state and is projected to fulfil the oxygen demand of more than 200 state hospitals and medical colleges, besides catering to various industries’ need for industrial gases.
Meanwhile, INOX is also keen to make a second round of investment, of nearly Rs 150 crore, in setting up another Ultra High Purity Cryogenic Liquid Oxygen Plant in the central UP.
In his address, Adityanath said the new plant would fortify the availability of oxygen not only in UP but also other northern states. He emphasised that his government had created a robust medical and health care infra in UP, which was contributing immensely in tackling the current Covid-19 pandemic situation and controlling the mortality rate.
CM Adityanath added that the investment not only boosted industrial development but also contributed towards creating a positive image of the state among investors’ community at large. He said his government was proactively working towards creating a conducive business environment in UP and resolution of such grievances.
Currently, INOX is catering to more than 60 per cent of the total medical oxygen requirement in the country. It supplies oxygen to more than 800 hospitals through a dedicated fleet of 550 transport tanks and 600 drivers.
The plant has a storage capacity of 1,000 tonnes of gas, besides a well-oiled distribution network and infrastructure.
INOX AP claimed it operated a fleet of 15 cryogenic tankers having a total capacity of 230,000 litres of oxygen. “The newly commissioned plant is a testament of our commitment towards serving the nation and supporting the government in these challenging times,” INOX group director Siddharth Jain said.
The proposed plant will make UP self-reliant in providing the medical and industrial gases while also strengthening and promoting the sustainable industrial growth in the state, according to a company release.
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