Etela Rajender, the Health Minister of Telangana, on the 10th of April, requested the Central Government to waive off taxes imposed on the medical equipment.
Mr. Rajender shared his suggestion during a video conference organised by Harsh Vardhan, the Health Minister of India to discuss the ongoing pandemic Coronavirus.
Explaining the need to do the same, Mr. Rajender said the easing of the taxes would help distributors and manufacturers to produce more equipment including the PPEs and fight against COVID-19.
The Telangana Health Minister said, “I request the Centre also to lift tax imposed by the Customs department on imported medical equipment. This is the right time for taking such important measures, as it will reduce the burden on buyers and sellers.” He further added, “We have come across instances of sellers indulging in sale of such vital medical equipment in the black market. The Centre must be able to control such markets.”
Dr. Rajender also highlighted the need to involve Electronic Corporation of India Limited (ECIL) Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) so the manufacturing would be on a large scale.
Etela Rajender informed till date the Telangana Health Department diagnosed 8,500 samples and out of the total, 471 tested positive 45 recovered and 12 died.
Telangana Government even placed an order of 5 lakhs Personal Protection Equipments (PPEs) including 1 crore N-95 Masks, goggles and gloves, ensuring safety of medical staff and doctors in the State.
Stay tuned for further updates about COVID-19.
