Varanasi: In his Mann Ki Baat on Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi talked to a driver of oxygen tanker Dinesh Babulnath Upadhyay, a resident of Hasanpur village in Jaunpur district.  Appreciating his work during the second wave of the pandemic, the PM said that when a tanker driver reaches a hospital with oxygen, he comes across as a godsent messenger.

“We can understand the magnitude of responsibility involved in such work…and the resultant mental pressure one undergoes,” said the PM. “We are seeing how the country is fighting against Covid-19 with all her might. This has been the biggest pandemic in the last 100 years and during this very pandemic India has confronted many a natural disaster with fortitude,” he said adding, “We’ve seen in the days gone by how our doctors, nurses and frontline warriors have toiled day and night without bothering about themselves, and continue to do so. Amidst all this, there indeed are people who’ve played a major role in the fight against the second wave of Corona”.

The PM said that when the second wave came, the demand for oxygen surged all of a sudden. This was a very big challenge, as delivering medical oxygen to remote parts of the country was indeed a huge task. If an oxygen tanker moves fast, the slightest error can lead to the risk of a big explosion. Many plants manufacturing industrial oxygen are located in the eastern parts of the country. Transporting oxygen from there to other states of the country requires many days.

In confronting this challenge, the country was helped by cryogenic tanker drivers, the Oxygen Express and Air Force pilots. Many such people worked on a war-footing, saving the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. Dinesh is one of such tanker drivers. The father of a son and two daughters, Dinesh has been driving an oxygen tanker for 15-17 years. Appreciating his work, the PM said that he is not just a truck driver, he is engaged in saving the lives of lakhs of people.

Replying to the PM’s query, Dinesh said, “Wherever we deliver oxygen, it gives us a lot of happiness. For us, it’s just that we are fulfilling our duty. If delivering oxygen on time gives life to someone, it is a matter of great honour for us”. The PM also asked about his family members and the study of his kids. He also appreciated him for staying away from his family for months, just to ensure that people’s lives are saved.

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