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Rajnath reviews preparedness of ministry of defence & armed forces
YB WEB DESK. Dated: 4/21/2021 12:22:15 PM
New Delhi,Apr 20 Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh held a virtual meeting to review the preparedness of Ministry of Defence and Armed Forces to deal with the recent spike in COVID-19 cases across the country, in New Delhi on April 20, 2021. Defence Secretary Dr Ajay Kumar, Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Karambir Singh, Chief of Army Staff General M M Naravane, Director General Armed Forces Medical Services (AFMS) Surg Vice Admiral Rajat Datta, Secretary (Defence Production) Shri Raj Kumar, Secretary Department of Defence R&D and Chairman Defence Research and Development Organisation Dr G Satheesh Reddy and other senior civil & military officers attended the meeting via video conferencing. Rajnath Singh was briefed about the measures taken by AFMS, DRDO, Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs), Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) and other departments of Ministry of Defence such as National Cadet Corps (NCC) in providing aid to the civil administration in this hour of crisis. He urged the DPSUs, OFB and DRDO to work on war footing to provide oxygen cylinders and extra beds to civil administration /state governments at the earliest. He called upon the Armed Forces to be in close contact with the state governments and be ready to provide any required assistance. Raksha Mantri also delegated the emergency powers of procurement so that critical needs are procured. Raksha Mantri was informed by DRDO Chairman thata COVID-19 facility, developed by DRDO, has again been made functional in New Delhi and efforts are being made to soon increase the number of beds from 250 to 500. He said, ESIC Hospital, which was converted to COVID hospital in Patna, has started functioning with 500 beds. He added that work is on war footing to set up a 450-bed hospital in Lucknow, 750-bed hospital in Varanasi and 900-bed hospital in Ahmedabad. Rajnath Singh was also informed that based on the On-Board Oxygen Generation Technology developed for LCA Tejas, a 1000 litre/minute capacity oxygen generation plants technology has been given to the industry and the Uttar Pradesh government has placed order of five such plants with the industry.