‘Managing relief logistics, hospitals’: Rajnath particulars Armed Forces’ efforts in battling Covid

Amid calls for and ideas of bringing the Armed Forces to deal with aid logistics and in addition set-up warlike discipline hospitals to fight Covid-19, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday wrote concerning the response of the Defence Ministry and the Armed Forces in “fighting the invisible enemy”, calling it a “once in a century crisis”.
“Sensing the emergency situation, the whole Government machinery immediately swung into action by mobilizing all possible resources. Along with the efforts put together by the scientific community, health professionals, civil administration, the Armed Forces too have pitched in this battle against an invisible yet deadly enemy.”
Singh wrote that the Indian Army, Air Force, Navy, and different organisations of the Ministry of Defence, like DG AFMS, DRDO, OFB, DPSU, NCC, Cantonments Boards, and many others, “are engaged to help mitigate the sufferings of the people. Mobilisation of additional health professionals, setting up of new COVID facilities, deployment of IAF transport aircraft and IN Ships to provide logistic support to facilitate the supply of oxygen from friendly foreign countries and within the country and setting up of new oxygen plants are some of the ongoing efforts of the Ministry of Defence”.
He recounted the steps taken up to now few weeks in aiding the Covid fight effort. Foremost, he stated, “I have directed the Armed Forces to extend all possible assistance to the civil administration to tide over the crisis” as “people have great faith and trust in the capabilities of the Armed Forces”. Emergency Financial Powers have been granted to the Armed Forces for the formation commanders to arrange medical services along with the emergency monetary powers delegated to Director General Medical Services (Army/Navy/Air Force) and different officers.
Also, practically 750 beds in varied Military Hospitals have been put aside for civilian use whereas the AFMS additionally devoted 19 hospitals, over 4,000 beds and 585 ICU items throughout the nation, Singh stated.
DRDO, he wrote, has arrange 500-bed services in New Delhi and Lucknow, a 900-bed hospital in Ahmedabad and transformed ESIC Hospital in Patna to Covid-19 hospital with 500 beds. It is working to ascertain related hospitals in Muzaffarpur and Varanasi.
Other steps embrace granting extension to the Short Service Commissioned Doctors of AFMS until December 31, redeploying not too long ago retired medical officers, 100 beds at Lucknow and Prayagraj supplied by the Army, and plenty of extra in different areas, and conserving 200 drivers on standby for driving oxygen transporters to numerous elements of the nation.
The Air Force has carried out 50 sorties, airlifting 61 oxygen containers of 1,142 MT capability from overseas, and 344 sorties, airlifting 230 containers of 4527 MT capability domestically until May 5. Navy too, he stated, has deployed 9 warships for the aim of transporting oxygen-filled containers and first consignment reached Mangalore on May 5. The Indian Army has repaired two civil oxygen vegetation at Agra to facilitate the resumption of provide of as much as 1,800 cylinders per day.
DRDO is establishing 500 Medical Oxygen Plants underneath PM Cares Fund. Also, 23 cell oxygen producing vegetation are being introduced from Germany and a young for one more 23 huge sized vegetation has additionally been floated.
Singh stated that the Armed Forces and varied institutions of his ministry “are not just providing support to the civil administration/state governments in fighting the current situation but are also playing a pivotal role in conducting the vaccination drive launched by the government across the country”.
“All the efforts and initiatives by the Armed Forces and various organizations of MoD, some of which enumerated above, are being done without compromising the objective of defending the nation from any external threat.”