After Haryana’s Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala’s request to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for GST exemption on oxygen concentration, Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia on Monday wrote to the Minister saying oxygen concentrators have emerged as ‘essential life support machines’ in present circumstances and GST should be exemted on them.

Delhi has been reporting over 300 Covid-19 fatalities every day mainly due to oxygen supply lacking in hospitals. Under such circumstances, Sisoida, the Nodal Minister for Covid 19 crisis management and Finance Minister in Delhi Cabinet, requested Sitharaman and wrote, it had emerged as “essential life support machines” given the surging Covid cases in the Capital and citizens would benefit if the GST complement of the price could be waived off.

Sisodia wrote, Delhi has 16,272 non-ICU oxygen beds and 4,866 oxygen beds and the Delhi Government was working on a war footing at creating 15,000 oxygenated non-ICU beds.

1,200 ICU beds over next 10 days even as more than 50,000 COVID patients were in home isolation.

He expressed gratitude to Sitharaman for the Centre’s decision for allowing the import of oxygen concentrators for personal use through e-commerce portals till July 32 this year and the reduction of IGST on these from 28% to 12%

However, these oxygen concentrators had become “essential life support machines” during the ongoing and unprecedented health crisis and steps could be considered to further lower the financial burden on those purchasing them, he stated.

“It would be appropriate if the Government of India 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.