With oxygen becoming a crucial need in these trying times, Khalsa Centre North East of Guwahati has started a new initiative to tackle the same by providing 'Oxygen Langar' to the needy through Oxygen Concentrators.
The initiative has been launched in association with the internationally acclaimed Khalsa Aid, which has provided 20 machines for the same.
Due to the shortage of oxygen amidst the devastating second wave of COVID-19, the group has started the initiative to provide free oxygen concentrators to needy patients in the city.
Earlier last year, the group had provided cooked food to thousands of people every day as people were caught off-guard with many losing their jobs and faced a major food crisis due to the pandemic.
In 2020, the group provided food to over three lakh people during the COVID-induced lockdown. The weekly Langar has been running at Guwahati's Dr B Barooah Cancer Institute for over 2 years now. In their 'Fight Against Hunger' movement, they provided relief to lakhs of people during floods as well as during lockdown.
This time, they have decided to provided oxygen concentrators as there is a major oxygen shortage in the country.
Captain PP Singh, Chairman of Khalsa Centre North East, that though there is no major crisis of oxygen in the state, thousands of patients who have been advised home treatment need oxygen concentrators, which reportedly is facing a shortage here. So the group has decided to procure these concentrators from outside and got in touch with Amarpreet Singh Khalsa, MD, Khalsa Aid India, who immediately reassured them to send 20 oxygen concentrators as required.
According to Singh, a lot of people have been calling them from Golaghat, Jorhat, Sonitpur etc for oxygen concentrators. But due to high demand in Guwahati, the group has decided first to focus inside the city, and if required and possible, subsequently, they will try to help people in other districts too.
The free 'Oxygen Langar' program was launched on Monday (May 17). The group provides oxygen concentrators to people for a maximum of seven days after taking the security of Rs 11,000 which is refunded after the safe return of the machine, which costs almost Rs 90,000.
On Tuesday, Assam recorded 5,835 new cases of coronavirus and 73 deaths. The active caseload stood at 46,393.