A shipment of 232 oxygen cylinders provided by members of the Indian community in Qatar has reached India.

"232 oxygen cylinders gifted by (the) Indian community in Qatar reach India and (are) being deployed for use in hospitals. Thank you Indian community," the Indian embassy in Doha tweeted on Wednesday.

The 232 oxygen cylinders arrived in Mumbai on Wednesday aboard 'INS Tarkash' along with two cryogenic tankers with 20 metric tonnes (MT) of liquid medical oxygen each, provided by France and transported from Qatar with facilitation by the relevant local authorities.

"Operation Setu-II - a sea bridge that continues to deliver. 'INS Tarkash' arrives in Mumbai (India) carrying 2 cryogenic tankers with 20MT liquid medical oxygen each. A tireless effort to augment our oxygen availability," tweeted Arindam Bagchi, official spokesperson for the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, on Wednesday.

"Deeply value this continuing support from our friend and partner, France. Grateful to our friend, Qatar, for the prompt facilitation in collaboration with the French embassy in Qatar," he continued. "A special thanks to the Indian community based in Qatar who have generously gifted 232 oxygen cylinders that came aboard 'INS Tarkash'."

This was the second shipment of liquid medical oxygen provided by France to India through Qatar. On Tuesday, Indian naval ship ‘INS Trikand’ arrived in Mumbai carrying two cryogenic tankers with 20 metric tonnes of liquid medical oxygen each, provided by France and facilitated by the French embassy in Doha along with the relevant Qatari authorities.

Also on Tuesday, 'INS Kolkata' reached the Indian port of New Mangalore with oxygen cylinders and concentrators from Qatar and Kuwait. It was carrying 200 oxygen cylinders and 43 oxygen concentrators provided through donations by the Indian community in Qatar, as well as Covid-19 relief materials sent from Kuwait.

The cylinders and concentrators were provided by members of the Indian community in Qatar through the Indian Community Benevolent Forum.

The Indian navy has launched ‘Operation Samudra Setu-II’ to meet the country’s oxygen requirements amid the surge in Covid-19 cases. As part of this initiative, the navy has deployed a number of ships for the shipment of oxygen-filled cryogenic containers and associated medical equipment from various countries.

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