Lok Sabha Question No. 1811 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-07-27
Subject: Production of Liquid Medical Oxygen
Ministry: STEEL
Asked by: Hasmukhbhai Somabhai Patel

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF STEEL

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.1811 FOR ANSWER ON 27/07/2022

## PRODUCTION OF LIQUID MEDICAL OXYGEN

## 1811. SHRI PATEL HASMUKHBHAI SOMABHAI:

Will the Minister of STEEL be pleased to state:

- (a) the details of total capacity of public sector and private sector steel companies in production of oxygen especially Liquid Medical Oxygen (LMO) in country during the last three years;
- (b) the measures taken to increase production of LMO in the country in general as well as specifically by public sector and also technical and other policy interventions brought to ease growing demand of LMO; and
- (c) the details of total increase in capacity production of oxygen by Oxygen Generator Plants in Hospitals in country during the Covid-19 pandemic years?

## ANSWER

(SHRI FAGGAN SINGH KULASTE)

THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF STEEL

- (a) The details of Liquid Medical Oxygen (LMO) production capacity of Public and Private sector steel companies are given at Annexure-I.
- (b) The measures taken to increase production of LMO in the country during the Covid Pandemic include the following: -
- i. Increase  production  of  LMO  by  reducing  production  of  liquid  Nitrogen  and Argon by steel companies.
- ii. Reduced safety stock from 3.5 days to 0.5 days resulting in additional approx. 25000 Metric Ton (MT) of LMO in storage tanks. Dispensing of LMO on a 24x7 basis resulting in increased supply to approx. 4500 MT/day.
- iii. Issue  of  licenses  for  industrial  gas  manufacturers  to  manufacture  medical oxygen.
- iv. Sanction of new Pressure Swing Absorption (PSA) plants by both, Central and State Governments.
- v. A total of 402517 Medical Oxygen Cylinders and 143397 Oxygen Concentrators were procured and provided by Central Government .
- vi. Amendment of regulation by National Medical Commission making it mandatory for all Medical Colleges to establish PSA plants.

(c) Pressure  Swing  Adsorption (PSA)  plants established for enabling selfsufficiency  in  generation  of  oxygen  for  hospitals'  needs  and  thereby  reduce  the burden on the medical oxygen supply grid across the country. A total of 4115 PSA plants  have  been  commissioned  in  the  country.  Government  of  India  supported States / Union Territories (UTs) by setting up and operationalizing 1225 PSA Plants under PM-CARES.

The details of PSA plants commissioned across the country are as follows: -

| Source                  |   No. of Commissioned PSA Plants |   Oxygen Capacity (in MT) |
|-------------------------|----------------------------------|---------------------------|
| PMCARES                 |                             1225 |                      1929 |
| Central Government PSUs |                              278 |                       335 |
| Foreign Aid             |                               49 |                        26 |
| State/CSR Initiatives   |                             2563 |                      2465 |
| Total                   |                             4115 |                      4755 |

[Source: Ministry of Health and Family Welfare]

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## Annexure-I

## LMO Production Capacity of Public and Private Sector Steel Companies (as on December '21)

| Steel Plants                            |   LMO Production Capacity (in Metric Ton) |
|-----------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------|
| Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) |                                    1136   |
| Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited (RINL)    |                                     130   |
| TATA Jamshedpur Linde                   |                                     453   |
| Tata Jamshedpur Airwater                |                                     150   |
| Tata Kalinganagar                       |                                     219   |
| Tata BSL                                |                                     244   |
| JSL Hisar                               |                                       9.5 |
| JSL Jajpur                              |                                      52   |
| AMNS Hazira (INOX)                      |                                     230   |
| AMNS Hazira ASU                         |                                      10   |
| JSW Bellary, Belloxy                    |                                     106   |
| JSW Bellary, Linde                      |                                     537   |
| JSW Bellary, Airwater                   |                                     100   |
| JSW Bellary, IGPL                       |                                     130   |
| JSW, Dolvi                              |                                     304   |
| JSW, Salem                              |                                      17   |
| JSPL, Angul                             |                                     100   |
| Vedanta ESL, Bokaro                     |                                      20   |
| JSW BPSL, Jharsuguda                    |                                      25   |
| Kalyani Steel, Hospet                   |                                     130   |
| Total                                   |                                    4102   |