Ajit Pawar urges FM Sitharaman to exempt essential medical equipment from GST

As the number of coronavirus cases continue to surge, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Friday wrote to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman seeking essential medical equipment to be exempted from GST.

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], April 3 : As the number of coronavirus cases continue to surge, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Friday wrote to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman seeking essential medical equipment to be exempted from GST.

Pawar, who also holds the finance portfolio, wrote to Sitharaman, seeking essential medical equipment like Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), preventive masks and ventilators to be exempted from GST, according to an official.

Maharashtra, with 423 COVID-19 positive cases so far, reported the highest number of cases in the country followed by Delhi with 384 cases. The number of cases in Tamil Nadu, where over 100 Tablighi Jamaat attendees have tested positive, has spiked to 309.

The total number of COVID-19 positive cases in India on Friday rose to 2,547 including 162 cured/discharged and 62 deaths, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

( With inputs from ANI )