The
second wave of COVID-19 saw an increase in demand for medical oxygen in
different parts of the country. While meeting the current
demand,manufacturing medical oxygen also became important to ensure we
have adequate supply in the future. ‘Project O2 for India’ of the Office of Principal Scientific Adviser, Government of India, is to enable stakeholders working to augment the country’s ability to meet this rise in demand for medical oxygen.
Under Project O2 for India, a National Consortium of Oxygen
is enabling the national level supply of critical raw materials such as
zeolites, setting up of small oxygen plants, manufacturing compressors,
final products, i.e.,oxygen plants, concentrators, and ventilators. The consortium is not
only looking forwardto providing immediate to short-term relief but
also working to strengthen the manufacturing ecosystem for long-term
preparedness. A committee of
experts has been evaluating critical equipment such as oxygen plants,
concentrators, and ventilators,from a pool of India-based manufacturers,
start-ups, and MSMEs (in partnership with FICCI, MESA, etc.).
The manufacturing and supply consortium also includes Bharat Electronics
Limited (BEL); Tata Consulting Engineers (TCE); C-CAMP, Bengaluru; IIT
Kanpur (IIT-K); IIT Delhi (IIT-D); IIT Bombay (IIT-B), IIT Hyderabad
(IIT-H); IISER, Bhopal; Venture Center, Pune; and more than 40 MSMEs.
The
consortium has started to secure CSR/philanthropic grants from
organizations like USAID, Edwards Life sciences Foundation, Climate
Works Foundation, etc. Hope Foundation, American Indian Foundation,
Walmart, Hitachi, BNP Paribas, and eInfoChips are procuring oxygen
concentrators and VPSA/PSA plants as part of their CSR efforts to aid
the consortium’s work. NMDC Ltd has agreed to fund the procurement of
raw materials like zeolite for the manufacturers in the consortium.