Covid-19: Coal India arms set up 1,509 isolation beds in 8 states

State-owned CIL's subsidiaries have set up 1,509 isolation beds in eight states in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic, an official said.

The eight coal bearing states are Jharkhand, West Bengal, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra and Assam.

Of the 1509 beds, Coal India arm Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd (MCL) has set up the maximum 664 beds at its hospitals in places like Bhubaneswar, Angul, Jharsuguda, Sambalpur and Sundargarh in the state of Odisha.

Besides, Northern Coalfields Ltd (NCL) has come up with 200 isolation beds in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.

Bharat Coking Coal Ltd (BCCL) has set up 100 beds, Central Coalfields Ltd (CCL) 180 beds, Eastern Coalfields Ltd (ECL) 144 beds,South Eastern Coalfields Ltd (SEC)132 beds, Western Coalfields Ltd (WCL) 75 beds and North Eastern Coalfields Ltd (NECL) 14 beds.

The subsidiaries have also distributed more than 3.3 lakh face masks to people in and around the coal mines, the official added.

ECL has distributed the maximum 76,367 masks, followed by NCL (66,847), SECL (64,536) and WCL (52,613), among others.

CIL had earlier pledged Rs 220 crore to the Prime Minister's Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situation (PM-CARES) Fund to fight against the coronavirus pandemic.

CIL accounts for over 80 per cent of domestic coal output.

The PSU has taken various initiatives to continue the dry fuel supply to various sectors, including power, during the lockdown period.

The measures include extending the time for coal lifting and making payments, and relaxing penalty against defaulters.