New Delhi, May 30 (PTI) Steel maker AMNS India on Sunday announced it is supplying 5,150 oxygen cylinders to the Odisha government to support the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.

The first tranche of 1,350 cylinders landed at the Bhubaneshwar airport on Sunday. These will be distributed by the state officials to medical centres across Odisha, ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel (AMNS) India said in a statement.

A second consignment of 3,800 units is on its way and is expected to arrive in Odisha in the coming days, the Gujarat-based steel maker said.

In the statement, the company said it has also built a 250-bed COVID-19 hospital in Gujarat near its manufacturing site at Hazira, which is being expanded to 1,000 beds.

Besides, the company is supplying of 250 tonnes of liquid medical oxygen to destinations in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana, on a daily basis.

Since April, over 9,200 tonnes of liquid medical oxygen has been supplied, which is enough to treat nearly 9,20,000 patient days, it said.

"AMNS India's contribution will go a long way in meeting urgent requirements as we battle the second wave of the pandemic.

"The Government of Odisha remains resolute in its efforts to safeguard not just the people of Odisha but also across the country, having supplied oxygen to several other states," Asit Tripathy, principal advisor to Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik, was quoted as saying in the statement.

AMNS India Head of Corporate Affairs (Odisha Operations) Lakshmi Mahapatra said, "Our focus throughout this pandemic has been the health of our people, our communities and India at large. We recognise that we have a responsibility to support state governments as they battle through this health crisis."

She added that the company is confident that through these collaborative efforts, which bring together citizens, communities, governments and industry, the country will overcome this crisis. HRS hrs

(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)