Kolkata, May 31 (PTI) Union Steel Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Monday inaugurated a 200-bed COVID care facility at Durgapur Steel Plant.

West Bengal Law and Public Works minister Moloy Ghatak was also present at the event along with BJP MP S S Ahluwalia and other officials, a SAIL statement said.

Pradhan said that indigenous vaccine manufacturers are in the process of enhancing their capacities significantly. Vaccines available in other countries too are in the process of reaching India, he said.

The second wave led to the surge in the demand of liquid medical oxygen requirement from 1,300 MT to 10,000 MT per day in the first week of May but most of the requirement was met by the steel plants, the Union minister said.

This was the first in the series of jumbo COVID care facilities being set up by SAIL in a fast track mode, the statement said.

"A double storied building has been swiftly modified to be used as a COVID hospital, with all necessary installations and medical equipment. This centre, located beside the national highway GT Road, has an added vantage point for the COVID patients of the region to access the hospital," officials said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)