Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL), on Saturday, said that it has become India's largest producer of medical-grade liquid oxygen from a single location.
As the country grapples with an unprecedented new wave of COVID-19 pandemic, RIL now produces over 11% of India's total production of medical grade liquid oxygen, at its refinery-cum-petrochemical facility in Jamnagar and other plants, meeting the needs of nearly every 1 in 10 patients in the country.
Traditionally, the conglomerate is not a producer of medical grade liquid oxygen, "yet starting g from Nil before the pandemic, Reliance Industries has now become India's largest producer of this life-saving resource from a single location."
"At its refinery-cum-petrochemical complex in Jamnagar and other facilities, RIL now produces over 1000 MT of medical grade liquid oxygen per day - or over 11% of India's total production - meeting the needs of nearly every one in ten patients," Reliance said in a statement.
Under the supervision of RIL Chairman and MD, Mukesh Ambani, Reliance adopted a two-pronged approach to strengthen the availability of medical oxygen in India:
1. Refocusing several industrial processes at Reliance's Jamnagar and other facilities for rapid scale-up in production of medical grade liquid oxygen.
2. Augmenting loading and transportation capacities to ensure its swift and safe supply to States and Union Territories across India.
The oxygen produced, is being provided free-of-cost to several state governments across the country to bring immediate relief to "over 1 lakh patients on a daily basis."
Since the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020, Reliance has supplied over 55,000 MT of medical grade liquid oxygen across the country, the statement read.
It added that in April 2021, RIL supplied over 15,000 MT of medical grade liquid oxygen free of cost, helping nearly 15 lakh patients.
"For me and for all of us at Reliance, nothing is more important than saving every life as India battles against a new wave of the COVID-19 pandemic," said Mukesh Ambani.
Also Read: Reliance ramps up daily oxygen output to over 700 tonnes
"There is an immediate need to maximise India's production and transportation capacities for medical grade oxygen. I am proud of our engineers at Jamnagar who have worked tirelessly, with a great sense of patriotic urgency, to meet dis new challenge," he said.
"I am truly humbled by the determination and sense of purpose shown by the bright, young members of the Reliance family who have once again risen to the occasion and delivered when India needs it the most," Ambani added.
Nita Ambani, Founder-Chairperson, Reliance Foundation, said, "our country is going through an unprecedented crisis. We at Reliance Foundation will continue to do everything we can to help. Every life is precious."
"Our plants at our Jamnagar refinery have been repurposed overnight to produce medical grade liquid oxygen that is being distributed across India. Our thoughts and prayers are with our fellow countrymen and women. Together, we will overcome these difficult times," she added.