With the number of corona-virus cases coming down, the government has permitted the oxygen manufacturing units to supply oxygen to certain industries such as food processing plants, MSMEs, and infrastructure projects, on the temporary basis. This supply, nevertheless, would be subjected to ensuring the adequate supply of liquid medical oxygen to hospitals or other medical purposes as per demands of states and UTs as well as the adequate supply to industries, sectors such as ampules or vials, pharmaceuticals, manufacturing of oxygen cylinders or PSA plants, neutral glass tubing or defence forces.

In April, the centre banned the supply of the oxygen for industrial purposes except in nine specified industries in view of shortage of the essential public health commodity in several states amid a spike in COVID-19 infections. The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), under the commerce and industry ministry, has proposed the home ministry for resuming the supply of oxygen to the industries other than the industries exempted by the home ministry.

The department has asked for the supply to furnaces, steel, refineries, aluminium, copper processing plants – infrastructure projects and plants; MSMEs, exporters of manufacturing sector requiring to the oxygen for production and food processing units. This regard, DPIIT may allow usage of liquid oxygen to these industries, projects, units on temporary basis, according to an office memorandum of the home ministry.