The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has called on the government to waive Customs duty on ventilators and other life-saving equipment in the State in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a study, ‘Impact on Industry and Internal Trade & Interventions Urgently Required for the Government’, the CII said that in addition to the waiver of duty, the government could help support smaller healthcare providers through working capital support, staggered payment of utility bills, deferment of municipal taxes etc to tide over the difficult period.
The CII has also called on the larger corporates to consider supporting the government in procuring essential requirements like ventilators, masks, sanitisers, PPE gowns, thermal scanners etc.
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“The government could make it available for the public through suitable distribution channels as currently there is a high demand for the above-mentioned items across the country,” the paper said.
For IT and ITeS companies, the essential services must continue, the CII paper said. Companies will make sure that a secure and safe work environment is created, it added. There has to be monetary support for daily wage earners who lose their job, it added.