The Financial Express : Jun 23, 2020, 06:03 PM
India fights coronavirus: Kudos! 50,000 indigenous ventilators set to be supplied in India using the PM CARES Fund. As India fights coronavirus, there is a need for ventilators to tackle the respiratory disease. Globally, several institutes are coming up with low-cost effective alternatives for ventilators due to the shortage of the essential machine. Now, as part of the ‘Make in India’ initiative, ventilators for India are being indigenously developed, instead of being procured from other countries. The supply of these ventilators would be aided through the Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations (PM CARES) Fund, a statement by the Prime Minister’s Office said on Tuesday.The release said that out of the fund, which relies on donations from the countrymen, Rs 2,000 crore have been allocated for the supply of as many as 50,000 ventilators indigenously developed. These ventilators would be supplied to government-run hospitals in all states and UTs, the statement added.The statement said that out of the 50,000 ventilators, 30,000 are being developed by M/s Bharat Electronics Limited, while the production of 20,000 ventilators have been distributed among several manufacturers, including AgVa Healthcare with 10,000 units, AMTZ Basic for 5,650 units, AMTZ High End with 4,000 units and Allied Medical with 350 units.According to the statement, 2,923 ventilators have been developed till now, of which 1,340 ventilators have been supplied to different states and UTs. While Maharashtra and Delhi have received 275 units each, Gujarat has so far received 175 units, Bihar has 100 units, Karnataka has 90, and Rajasthan has 75. The statement further asserts that by the end of the month, another 14,000 ventilator units would be distributed among all states and UTs.Additionally, the statement also said that another Rs 1,000 crore have been released to different states and UTs for the welfare of migrant workers.