Dharmendra Pradhan commends VSP for saving the lives of many COVID patients by providing oxygen
The Union Minister for Petroleum, Natural Gas and Steel, Dharmendra Pradhan, inaugurated the Jumbo COVID Care Facility with 300 beds (Phase 1) from the planned 1,000-bed facility for the treatment of COVID-19 patients in Gurajada Kalakshetram and Hostel-1 at . a RINL-Visakhapatnam Steel Plant in virtual mode on Sunday.
In his keynote address, Mr. Pradhan praised RINL-Vizag Steel’s efforts to become involved in the national interest on the occasion by working tirelessly during this pandemic and becoming the savior of many lives across the country. He commended the RINL for their quick and dedicated efforts to send the first oxygen express to Maharashtra. He also thanked the state government for providing all necessary support for the commissioning of the plant on the premises of RINL-Vizag Steel.
Union State Minister for Steel Faggan Singh Kulaste praised the RINL team for providing timely relief to COVID patients through the delivery of liquid medical oxygen (LMO) and now with the support of the state government and the steel ministry in building the new facility.
Deputy Chief Minister and Health Minister Alla Kali Krishna Srinivas, Industry Minister Mekapati Goutham Reddy, Minister of Mining and Geology P. Ramachandra Reddy, Rajya Sabha Member V. Vijaya Sai Reddy and Anakapalle MP B. Venkata Satyavathi attended the inauguration ceremony in virtual mode.
Before that, RINL CMD PK Rath thanked the state government and the steel ministry for their support in the start of phase 1 of the 1,000-bed facility in his welcoming speech. He announced that to date 15,000 people in the RINL brotherhood have been vaccinated. He said that around 6,700 tons of LMO have been shipped to Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Karnataka from the RINL-Visakhapatnam Steel Plant to date during the second wave of COVID-19.
Director (Personnel) KC Das suggested a thank you.
“Rethink the decision to privatize VSP”
Mr. Vijaya Sai and Mr. Goutham Reddy recalled the contribution of the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant (VSP) to meet the oxygen needs of COVID-19 patients in different parts of the country. Mr. Vijaya Sai said the VSP sent the first oxygen train to Maharashtra on April 19 this year. He wondered if it would have been possible if the facility had been privatized.
He reiterated his appeal to the center to reconsider its decision to privatize the VSP.