COVID crisis: Punjab seeks increase in oxygen quota as Modi calls up four more CMs

NEW DELHI:  Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday spoke to the chief ministers of Punjab, Karnataka, Bihar and Uttarakhand on the Covid-19 situation in their states. 

The PM has been speaking to state chief ministers and lieutenant governors of union territories for the last few days to assess the pandemic situation and offer suggestions. 

Chief ministers have also briefed him on the measures being taken by them to deal with the raging second wave of the pandemic. 

“Prime Minister Narendra Modi called up for an update on Covid cases in Uttarakhand. I apprised him with the present situation,” Chief Minister Tirath Singh Rawat said in a tweet.

The Covid-19 situation continues to be grim in Uttarakhand with around 7,000 to 9,000 people testing positive daily for the disease for the last several days.

A total of 8,390 people had tested positive for coronavirus on Saturday while 118 more people succumbed to the infection. 

Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh urged the PM to increase the state’s oxygen quota and ensure urgent supplies of anti-Covid-19 vaccines.

The chief minister raised these issues when Modi called him up to discuss the state’s Covid-19 situation. 

The Prime Minister assured all possible help, Singh said.

The chief minister hoped that the Centre would take immediate steps to supplement oxygen supplies and ensure vaccine doses are sent on priority to help the Punjab government effectively manage the situation triggered by the second wave of the pandemic, an official statement said.

Singh told the Prime Minister the state was unable to initiate phase-III of the vaccination process for the 18-44 age group people, but it will now begin in government hospitals from Monday following the delivery of one lakh doses.

For the 45 plus age group too, the vaccine was in short supply and while 1.63 lakh doses were expected to come on Sunday, these were not enough to meet the state’s requirement, he said. With agency inputs