Piyush Goyal, the Minister of Railways, on Sunday said that States should control the demand for oxygen and it should be given only to patients who need it, reports news agency ANI. The statement comes amid complaints of oxygen shortage from several states. 

“I request that you (states) have to make efforts towards demand control from your side and it will also be important to take steps for control of pandemic,” Goyal told ANI.

He added, “The patient should be given as much oxygen as is necessary. Reports of wastage are coming from various places and there are reports that oxygen is being given when a patient does not need it.”

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The Union Minister said that the central government is monitoring all the needs of states required to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. Talking about oxygen shortage, he said that Maharashtra will be given the biggest share of 1,500 metric tonnes of oxygen. Maharashtra is the worst affected state by the pandemic right now, as it is recording nearly 70,000 cases of coronavirus, daily.  

Goyal said that Delhi will get 350 metric tonnes of oxygen and Uttar Pradesh will get 800 metric tonnes.

The remarks by the Railways Minister come at a time when India is recording over 2.5 lakh cases of COVID-19 daily for the last few days and families of COVID patients across the nation are having trouble arranging beds in hospitals and medical oxygen. Social media is flooded with people asking for help in arranging beds, medicines, and plasma for their families and beds.

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Goyal said that the Centre has decided to stop the supply of oxygen for industrial purposes, except for nine sectors, from April 22, in order to maintain an adequate supply of oxygen to hospitals. 

Last week a high-level meeting, chaired by PM Narendra Modi, had directed that the installation of approved medical oxygen plants be hastened.