CHENNAI: Chief Minister M K Stalin on Tuesday ordered use of Rs 50 crore from the relief fund for procuring drugs for COVID-19 treatment and to buy containers to bring Liquid Medical Oxygen through trains to Tamil Nadu from states like Odisha.
Out of the Rs 69 crore donations received so far to the Chief Minister's Public Relief Fund for COVID-19 related initiatives, Rs 25 crore would be for providing life saving drugs besides Remdesivir to government hospitals and an equal amount to procure containers to get LMO through trains, a government release said.
Odisha and West Bengal are the two states as of now from where LMO is brought to Tamil Nadu through trains.
Over 300 tonnes (310.22) of LMO has been delivered to Tamil Nadu through oxygen express trains, the Southern Railway had said on Monday.
After Stalin's appeal to the people, corporates and Tamils living in several parts of the world to make generous contributions to CMPRF to tackle the pandemic, donations were being made by general public,companies and others.
Till May 17, total donations were to the tune of Rs 69 crore (Rs 29.44 crore online remittances and Rs 39.56 crore through cheques handed in person to CM) and Stalin thanked all donors, the release said.
Meanwhile, as assured, the AIADMK on Tuesday gave a cheque for Rs one crore favouring the CMPRF to Chief Secretary V Iraianbu at the Secretariat.
AIADMK's organisation secretaries D Jayakumar and JCD Prabhakar handed over the cheque to the top official.