Stalin seeks 500 MT oxygen allocation from Centre for Tamil Nadu

Many states across the country are facing a severe shortage of medical oxygen

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Saturday requested the Centre to enhance the medical oxygen allocation to Tamil Nadu to 500 metric tonnes.

The chief minister, who had a telephonic conversation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, assured the PM that Tamil Nadu would stand by the Centre in the fight against Coronavirus.

The Prime Minister assured Stalin that he would consider his request immediately, an official release here said.

The Prime Minister, the release further said, asked the Tamil Nadu government to continue testing for the virus on a massive scale and focus on monitoring the mild coronavirus patients at home.

Stalin also sought the centre's cooperation in containing the spread of the infection in Tamil Nadu.

In his first official communication to Modi after taking over as CM on Friday, Stalin had flagged the "severe crisis" over availability of medical oxygen and sought the PM's intervention to ensure supplies and make available containers and trains to transport the life saving gas to the state.