Armed forces answer the call of duty, go all out in Covid-19 fightback
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh took stock of the situation through video conferencing along with Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, Defence Secretary Dr Ajay Kumar, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Karambir Singh, Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal R K S Bhadauria, Chief of Army Staff General M M Naravane and other senior officials.
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FollowTo control the surging number of Coronavirus cases across the country, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh reviewed the efforts of the armed forces and reiterated that forces should provide all necessary assistance to the civilian administration.
Rajnath took stock of the situation through video conferencing along with Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, Defence Secretary Dr Ajay Kumar, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Karambir Singh, Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal R K S Bhadauria, Chief of Army Staff General M M Naravane and other senior officials.
During the meeting, the defence minister was informed that approximately 600 additional doctors are being mobilised through special measures like recalling those who had retired in the last few years.
"The Indian Navy has deployed 200 Battle Field Nursing Assistants to assist in various hospitals. The National Cadet Corps has deployed 300 cadets and staff at various locations in Maharashtra, Uttarakhand and Haryana. A telemedicine service, to be operated by health veterans, will begin soon to provide consultation to those patients who remain at home," the minister was informed.
Indian Army has made available more than 720 beds for civilians in various states.
Further, the minister directed the Army to share the details with local administration at the state and district levels.
General Rawat suggested that local military commands have to be actively engaged in assisting the civil administration.
DRDO informed Rajnath that the 500-bed hospital being set up in Lucknow and will start functioning in the next 2-3 days.
"Another hospital is also being set up in Varanasi which is scheduled to be completed by May 5," Reddy said.
The DRDO also informed that the first four out of 380 Oxygen PSA (Pressure Swing Adsorption) plants being manufactured under the PM CARES fund will be deployed in hospitals in New Delhi by next week.
The defence minister appreciated the logistics support being provided by the forces in transporting oxygen containers from abroad as well as within the country between places of consumption and production.
While transport aircraft of the Indian Air Force carried out several sorties from Singapore, Bangkok, Dubai and within the country, the Indian Navy dispatched four ships -- two to the Middle East and two to South East Asia -- to transport filled oxygen containers to India.
As of May 1, IAF carried out 28 sorties from abroad, airlifting 47 oxygen containers with 830 MT of capacity, while from within the country, it carried out 158 sorties, airlifting 109 containers with 2,271 MT capacity.
The Navy and the Air Force have also supplied nearly 500 portable oxygen cylinders from their stores to various civilian hospitals.
Defence Public Sector Undertakings are procuring 28 oxygen plants and other medical equipment worth Rs 40 crore under CSR for supplying to various hospitals in states.
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited has set up a 250-bed hospital in Bengaluru. Another 250-bed hospital is being set up in Lucknow.
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