560 Family members of COVID-19 patients outside an oxygen-filling centre to refill their empty cylinders, as demand for the gas rises due to spike in coronovirus cases, in New Delhi. PTI
Mukesh Ranjan
New Delhi, April 23
The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Friday said it has written to all the states and Union Territories (UTs) to ensure adequate security to oxygen transporting vehicles and to make provisions for exclusive corridors for the transportation of life saving gas.
The communication to the states and the UTs from the MHA went after a high-level review meeting chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who directed the officials to take various measures to augment the supply of oxygen for medical purposes.
To ensure that there is no crisis of oxygen in hospitals across the country, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs prohibited supply of oxygen for industrial purposes, except those exempted by the government, from Thursday onwards.The ministry has .
COVID-19: Examining the Impact of Lockdown in India after One Year
One year after its announcement in March 2020, the consequences of India’s strict COVID-19 lockdown measures and ineffective policy responses continue to be felt, be it in terms of livelihood loss and economic downturn or increased marginalisation of vulnerable sections of society.
On 24 March 2020, with approximately 500 confirmed positive cases of COVID-19 reported in India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the country and declared a nationwide lockdown. He announced that “a total ban is being imposed on people, from stepping out of their homes for a period of 21 days.” The lockdown, which would be in operation from the midnight of 24–25 March, was announced with only four hours’ notice.