The top court said there should be no political bickering over the generation of oxygen by Vedanta as the country is facing a national crisis.
The chief minister raised these issues when Modi called him up to discuss the state's COVID-19 situation and the measures being taken to tackle the crisis, according to an official statement issued here.
Karnataka Medical Education Minister K Sudhakar tweeted that as soon as he came to know about the shortage of oxygen at the KIMS, a private hospital, directions were issued to shift patients by ambulance to Victoria, Bowring and Rajiv Gandhi hospitals in the city.
Authorities at several private hospitals in the national capital on Monday scampered to refill their oxygen stocks as the lives of many COVID patients hung by a thin thread amid an acute shortage of the life-saving gas.
Legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar on Thursday donated Rs one crore to procure oxygen concentrators for COVID-19 patients in the country as it battles a severe second wave of the global pandemic.
The Delhi high court on Friday held as "unconstitutional", the imposition of Integrated Goods and Services Tax (IGST) by the Centre on import of oxygen concentrators by individuals for personal use. A bench of Justices Rajiv Shakdher and Talwant Singh quashed the May 1 notification issued by the ministry of finance which says that such oxygen concentrators imported for personal use, irrespective of whether they are a gift or otherwise, will be charged with an IGST of 12 per cent. The court said the individuals will have to give an undertaking to the authorities that the oxygen concentrator is being imported for personal use and not commercial use.
"Water has gone above the head. Now we mean business. You (Centre) will arrange everything now," the court said.
The elite healthcare facility in central Delhi had sent multiple SOS messages last week amid a severe shortage of oxygen as the lives of hundreds of patients at the facility hung by a thread.
During an over three-hour hearing on the matter relating to oxygen crisis and shortage of medicines to treat COVID-19 patients in the national capital, the court observed that the "problem lies with the Delhi government" and directed nodal officer Udit Prakash to ensure supply of oxygen by cylinders to hospitals and nursing homes "without fail".
Raising an alarm that a "big tragedy" may happen due to oxygen shortage in hospitals during the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday said the Centre should take over all oxygen plants through the Army.
This will boost availability of these items as well as make them cheaper, it said, adding that Modi also directed the revenue department to ensure seamless and quick custom clearance of such equipment.
The basic aim behind establishing PSA oxygen plants at government hospitals in the district headquarters is to further strengthen the public health system and ensure that each of these hospitals has a captive oxygen generation facility.
This is a national leadership gone so wrong that India's most powerful prime minister in four decades has personally taken charge of medical oxygen shortages, observes Shekhar Gupta.
Only 30 ICU beds for COVID patients were available in hospitals across Delhi at 10 pm, according to government data.
India is struggling with a second wave of the pandemic with more than 3,00,000 daily new coronavirus cases being reported in the past few days, and hospitals in several states are reeling under a shortage of medical oxygen and beds.
While the proceedings were on, the patient's relative urged the court to request authorities to arrange for an ICU bed as his vitals were low and he was in that emergency ward of a hospital.
Royal Challengers Bangalore on Sunday pledged financial assistance for infrastructure 'related to oxygen support' in India's fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and will also raise funds by auctioning special blue jerseys to be worn by players in an upcoming IPL match.
The funds revealed by Australian players will go towards programmes by UNICEF that support nutrition, healthcare, safe drinking water, education, and mental health services for 1.7 million vulnerable in-need children in the country.
Larger hospitals are not worried about a spike in cases, as they are now accustomed to converting ICUs and general wards into negative pressure zones or isolation rooms. For smaller hospitals, the task is tedious.
There is a need for top court's intervention on certain national issues as there might be matters related to coordination between states, it said.
Many Australian cricketers are looking to leave the IPL early amid fears they will be locked out of the country because of India's escalating COVID-19 crisis.
For the second year running, the monsoon session of Parliament, usually summoned in July, is unlikely to be held this year as well due to the coronavirus second wave that has gripped India.
The lockdown imposed on April 19 night will now continue till 5 am on May 3.
The Centre on Sunday moved the Delhi High Court seeking recall of its order directing supply of entire allocated oxygen of 490 metric tonnes (MT) to the national capital and warning of contempt action for failure to do so.
Mansukh Mandaviya replaced Anurag Thakur in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's new cabinet.
'The virus has been ahead of us till now, and we have been chasing the virus.' 'It is time we have to be a step ahead of the virus, and this is possible only by checking the oxygen level.'
The government's focus is on urban areas, so rural areas are neglected and the COVID situation in Bihar's villages -- neither the positive cases nor the deaths -- are reported, notes M I Khan.
Along with the suggestions on how to tackle the pandemic, Dr Fauci -- the chief medical advisor to the Biden Administration and US' top epidemiologist -- also mentioned that victory against the virus declared by the Indian government was "premature".
The oxygen shortage was inevitable to an extent given the tsunami of Covid cases, but the problem is the lack of even basic preparation by both the Centre and states, notes Shyamal Majumdar.
India is struggling with the second wave of coronavirus infection and hospitals in several states are reeling under a shortage of medical oxygen and beds in view of a rising number of COVID-19 cases.
Dr Fauci said that India needs to immediately build makeshift field hospitals like what China did a year ago.
"This is not fair. This is a huge calamity and we need to fight it unitedly. If we are divided, India will not survive," the Delhi CM said.
Some people are shining through India's gravest health emergency by offering to run errands and home kitchens delivering meals to organisations and individuals stepping in to supply oxygen cylinders, oximeters
According to the AIIMS director, there are 10-15 per cent of people who may witness severe infection and may need extra medicines like Remdesivir, oxygen or plasma. Less than five per cent of patients need to be operated on a ventilator, he informed.
Amid a surge in coronavirus cases, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday replaced his 'Team-11', a group of officials tasked with managing the crises, with a new nine-member set of ministers and bureaucrats.
'Are they assuming that by the end of May or the 15th of June, we will see the end of the pandemic?'
Rishabh Pant, on Saturday, May 8, committed to make a monetary donation to provide oxygen cylinders with beds, COVID relief kits.
ICICI Bank was the top gainer in the Sensex pack, surging over 3 per cent, followed by HDFC, Bajaj Auto, HDFC Bank, SBI, Kotak Bank and Bajaj Finance. NSE Nifty jumped 109.75 points to 14,406.15.
It noted that the government could not accurately anticipate the gravity of the possible resurgence of the pandemic and its subsequent waves.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances