Taking a slew of measures to spice up the supply of medical oxygen within the country amid Covid surge, the central government Saturday decided to waive basic customs and health cess on the import of oxygen and related equipment for next three months with immediate effect, PTI reported. At a gathering chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, it had been also decided to exempt basic customs on the import of Covid vaccines with immediate effect for a period of three months, a government statement said.
India recorded over 3.46 lakh new Covid-19 cases within the last 24 hours ending 8 am Saturday. The rapid uptick in new cases has taken India’s total infection count to over 1.66 crore. Out of those , over 25.52 lakh cases are currently active while over 1.38 crore people have recovered after testing positive. With 2,624 new fatalities the price is now over 1.89 lakh.
Delhi on Friday reported a staggering 348 deaths thanks to Covid-19 as hospitals within the capital continued to grapple with a severe shortage of medical oxygen. As many as 24,331 fresh cases were reported within the last 24 hours. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, during his meeting with PM Modi, highlighted the crippling oxygen crisis in hospitals within the capital.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Friday held a gathering with leading oxygen manufacturers across the country, asking them to utilise the industry’s full potential to satisfy medical oxygen demand within the coming days. The PM said there was a requirement to extend the supply of oxygen cylinders also on upgrade logistical facilities for its transportation.