New Delhi: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman praised the Indian industry for its extreme forbearance, patience and perseverance, using Japanese word ‘Gamanzuyoi’.
Addressing more than 150 senior industry captains in a virtual interaction organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), she emphasised on the need for adopting micro-containment strategy in dealing with the second surge of the pandemic and acknowledged that the deliberations with CII had helped shaped this strategy.
Explaining the rationale, the Finance Minister said that unlike last time, the government now has important tools such as vaccines and medicines to deal with the pandemic.
On meeting the phenomenal increase in demand for medical oxygen, a critical treatment tool for Covid-19, she assured seamless supply to states. Measures that the government is taking include importing medical oxygen, round the clock working of oxygen filling stations and allowing containers used for nitrogen and argon to be used for oxygen, she added.
Sitharaman also gave details of government initiatives to help ramp up capacity of Remdesivir from 36 lakh vials per month to 78 lakh vials per month. Some of these measures include rapid clearances for new capacities, stopping exports, stopping the exports of APIs and formulations used in the manufacture of this life saving drug, and allowing EoUs and manufacturers located in SEZs to also sell in the domestic market, she said.
During the interaction, CII members manufacturing Remdesivir apprised the Finance Minister that they were in fact working towards exceeding the committed target of 78 lakh vials per month and aiming to reach a production of 1 crore vials per month.
