India imports 20 cryogenic tankers to address shortage of oxygen tankers

April 27, Delhi: India’s federal government on Tuesday said it has imported 20 cryogenic tankers and allocated them to states in a bid to address the shortage of oxygen tankers, officials said.

“To address the shortage of oxygen tankers in the country, the government has imported 20 cryogenic tankers of 10 MT and 20 MT capacity and allocated them to states,” a statement issued by the federal health ministry said.

The imported cryogenic tankers are planned to be used in the shipment of liquid medical oxygen from the manufacturing plant to the national capital New Delhi and the states of Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Gujarat, the hard-hit areas by the second wave of the COVID-19 infections in India, according to the ministry.

Amid the ongoing resurgence of the pandemic, hospitals across India have reported a shortage of the medical oxygen supply and urged the federal government to help replenish their stocks.

The federal health ministry on Tuesday reported 323,144 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 2,771 deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing India’s total tally to 17,636,307 with 197,894 deaths. (Xinhua)