Govt allows import of oxygen concentrators for personal use amid Covid-19 surge

The government has revised the Foreign Trade Policy, 2015-2020 and permitted the import of oxygen concentrators for personal use amid a massive surge in Covid-19 cases in the country.

An official press release from the ministry of commerce and industry stated that oxygen concentrators have been added to the list of exempted categories, where customs clearance is sought as ''gifts".

These oxygen concentrators can be procured through post, courier or e-commerce portals.

The exemption for oxygen concentrators is allowed till July 31, 2021, for personal use, according to a notification of the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) issued on Friday.

"Import of goods, including those purchased from e-commerce portals, through post or courier, where customs clearance is sought as gifts, is prohibited except for life-saving drugs/medicines/ oxygen concentrators and rakhi (but not gifts related to rakhi)," the notification said.

India's health care system is overwhelmed with the current surge in Covid-19 cases and there is a shortage of oxygen, beds and medicines.

The country recorded more than four lakh new cases in the past 24 hours. 4,01,993 cases were reported in the country taking the total tally of Covid-19 cases to 1,91,64,969.