The Union government on Saturday said that it would waive basic customs duty and health cess on the import of COVID vaccines and oxygen. The duties have been waived for three months. 

“At the high-level meeting, key decisions of waiving customs duty on oxygen and oxygen-related equipment and COVID-19 vaccines were taken,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted after chairing a meeting to review steps taken to boost oxygen availability in the country.

The Prime Minister emphasized that there was an immediate need to augment the supply of medical-grade oxygen as well as equipment required for patient care both at home and in hospitals. He stressed that all ministries and departments need to work in synergy to increase the availability of oxygen and medical supplies, the press release states. 

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Medical oxygen and related equipments required for manufacture, transportation and distribution will see the basic customs to be waived off. Further, ventilators and related equipment were also included in the 16-item list. 

The meeting, in which various officials including Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman participated, decided to keep vaccinations custom-free for three months. This will reduce the cost of vaccinations, the press release added.

This exemption on import duty comes as the country is witnessing a severe shortage of oxygen. India reported 3.47 lakh fresh cases on Saturday, the country’s biggest single-day spike. India is set to start phase 3 of the vaccination drive on May 1.