Local industry cries foul over nil import duty on Covid-19 medical supplies

Indian players who have invested in their units to rise up to the occassion say they may end up with idle capacity once Chinese firms ramp up production and bring prices down

Smita Shah, managing director of Mediklin Healthcare, a firm that makes protective gear has ramped up her production in the last one month. Besides paying for manpower who cannot come, she is paying incentives to those workers who work at her factory in Silvassa and now stay within the premises.

There is huge demand for personal protective equipment (PPE) kits for healthcare workers and many units like Mediklin have ramped up production. These units now find themselves in a spot as the government exempts duty on imports of PPE, masks, ventilators and Covid-19 test kits.

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