The Supreme Court on Saturday constituted a National Task Force to assess availability and distribution of oxygen across the country, news agency ANI reported.

Justice DY Chandrahud, in his order, constituted a 12-member task force, which will assess availability and distribution of oxygen on a scientific, rational and equitable basis, across the country. 

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The task force will suggest measures to ensure there is an equitable and rational availability of other medical supplies across the country. 

The SC called for a revamp of the Centre’s oxygen distribution to states, saying that the central government failed to consider ambulances, lower-level COVID-care facilities and people in home quarantine. 

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India is in the grips of a deadly second wave of COVID-19 in recent months, with the spiralling cases overloading the country’s healthcare infrastructure. This has in turn led to a drastic shortage of essential medical supplies, particularly liquid medical oxygen. 

Harrowing reports about people dying from a lack of oxygen and while waiting for a bed outside an overcrowded hospital made headlines across the globe, with relief aid, including ventilators and oxygen concentrators soon pouring in from a number of countries. 

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However, there have been reports of mismanagement of the relief supplies as well, as hospitals continue to experience a crunch in essentials. 

On Saturday, India recorded over 4,000 daily COVID-19 deaths for the first time, with 4,187 fatalities taking the death toll to 238,270. 4,01,078 new cases pushed the country’s total case count to 21,892,676.