Plea in Supreme Court seeks GST exemption for COVID-19 drugs, medical equipment
The Hindu
Centre empowered under public interest, says lawyers group, citing hardship of people
A group of advocates moved the Supreme Court on Thursday seeking a direction to the Centre and the Office of the GST Council Secretariat to let go of their “apathy” and exempt COVID-19 drugs and equipment from the GST regime with “immediate effect” in public interest. The petition filed by The Public Policy Advocates, represented by advocate Astha Sharma, asked whether the GST authorities and government officials concerned were unable to see people run from pillar to post trying to procure drugs, oxygen, equipment and hospital beds to save their loved ones. The plea said the court should direct the GST Council “to convene a meeting expeditiously and direct exemption of GST with respect to COVID-19 related drugs, including, but not limited to, Remdesivir, Tocilizumab, Favipiravir and other drugs with similar generic constitution, medical equipment, including, but not limited to, ventilators and Bipap machines, and other medical treatment for infection prevention, control measures and supportive care for COVID-19 patients, including, but not limited to, medical grade oxygen, oxygen concentrators, etc.”.A crowd comprising farmers, researchers, professors, students, and horticulture enthusiasts thronged the ICAR-Indian Institute of Horticultural Research (IIHR), Hesaraghatta, Bengaluru, on Friday for the inaugural ceremony of the Triphal Diversity Show which showcased 300 mango, 100 jackfruit, and 100 banana genotypes in collaboration with ICAR-National Research Centre for Banana, Tiruchirappalli.
The State government on Friday constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT), headed by Additional Director-General of Police, Manish Kharbikar of the Economic Offences division of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to probe the alleged multi-crore scam in the government-run Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation.
The Deputy Commissioner and the Election Officer for Dakshina Kannada Lok Sabha constituency M. P. Mullai Muhilan said here on Friday that over 600 staff will be involved in the counting of votes cast in the April 26 elections, at the counting centre at the National Institute of Technology – Karnataka, Surathkal, on June 4.