New Delhi: Customs duty and health cess on the import of Covid vaccines and oxygen will be waived for a period of three months with immediate effect, the union government announced after Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a meeting to review steps taken to boost oxygen availability in the country.
In the meeting, PM Modi once again emphasised that there was an immediate need to augment the supply of medical-grade oxygen as well as equipment required for patient care both at home and in hospitals.
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As informed by the Central government, PM Modi has directed the Revenue department to ensure seamless and quick customs clearance of Oxygen related equipment. It was also decided that Basic Customs Duty and health cess on import of Covid vaccines, items related to Oxygen and Oxygen related equipment be also exempted with immediate effect for 3 months.
According to Centre, this would "boost the availability of these items, as well as make them cheaper".
The government presently levies 10 percent customs or import duty on vaccines coming from overseas. Earlier, the government waived import duty on Remdesivir injection and had also banned its export.
Many hospitals in India especially the national capital Delhi are reporting the oxygen supply shortage. Many hospitals even had to approach the Delhi High Court seeking some resolution to the precarious situation of no oxygen supply.
The Delhi High Court in its hearing on Saturday said that if any official at the central, state or local administration was obstructing in the picking up or supply of oxygen, then it would "hang" that person.
The court told the Delhi government to inform the Centre also about such officials of the local administration so that it could take action against them.
India Imports Medical Oxygen
Meanwhile, as India deals with the concerning shortage of oxygen supply amid the raging Covid-19 pandemic, the central government has also decided to import oxygen concentrated from abroad.
"An order of ten thousand oxygen concentrators has been placed and oxygen concentrators import will start from next week from United States America (USA)," government sources told news agency ANI.
"Operating under air bubble with the USA, next flight of Air India from San Fransisco (SFO) to Delhi will carry a large number of oxygen concentrators to India next week. Likewise from Chicago too," government officials added.