Sisodia asks Centre to waive GST on oxygen concentrators for 6 months
The Hindu
‘These life support machines need to be made more affordable’
Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Monday wrote to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, requesting that GST be waived on oxygen concentrators for six months. These had emerged as “essential life support machines” given the surging COVID cases in the Capital and citizens would benefit if the GST component of their price could be waived, said Mr. Sisodia, who also holds the finance portfolio. “There is no availability of oxygen concentrators in the market…During this unprecedented health crisis, oxygen concentrators have become essential life support machines. It would be appropriate if the Centre and the GST Council consider exempting GST on oxygen concentrators for a period of six months to make them more affordable for our citizens,” he wrote.The election authorities are gearing up for the counting of votes cast in the simultaneous elections to Lok Sabha and Assembly seats in Andhra Pradesh, scheduled to be held on June 4. The Collectors and Election Officers of Visakhapatnam, Anakapalli and Alluri Sitharama Raju (ASR) districts said on May 23 (Thursday) that their teams were ready for the counting of votes.
Responding to the prolonged water scarcity, the residents of the area took to the streets in protest on Wednesday. The protest, which drew attention to their plight, stopped only after the intervention of the police. It was not until 1.30 p.m. that a 4000-litre tanker was finally delivered by BWSSB, providing relief to the water-starved residents.