UP government asks distilleries to make hand sanitisers
LUCKNOW: The state government has urged distilleries to start manufacturing alcohol-based hand sanitisers to check the spread of the coronavirus.
Principal secretary, excise, Sanjay Bhoosreddy said, “We have requested the sugar mills having distilleries to start manufacturing alcohol- based hand sanitisers. This will help us make a sufficient quantity of alcoholbased hand sanitisers available in the market.”
“We have got in touch with the owners of the distilleries and hope about five to six of them will begin manufacturing the alcoholbased sanitisers on our request soon. We hope production of hand sanitisers at one of these units will begin this week on our request. We are helping the sugar mills in getting drug licence, besides the foreign liquor licence (FL-41) needed for the purpose. It is for these mills to keep manufacturing once the coronavirus crisis is over,” said Bhoosreddy.
As some micro small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) manufacturing hand sanitiser are facing a shortage of isopropyl alcohol, a key raw material, the state government has asked the state excise department to make ethyl alcohol available to them.
“Some MSMEs are using isopropyl alcohol to manufacture hand sanitisers. As isopropyl alcohol transported from Gujarat is in short supply due to high demand, we are making ethyl alcohol available to them to enable them to increase production. We have made the process of giving ethyl alcohol easy for such MSMEs,” said Bhoosreddy.
Principal secretary, MSME, Navneet Sehgal said he had asked officers of his department working in the districts to get in touch with the MSMEs and assure them of all help in boosting production of alcohol-based hand sanitisers.
“We are requesting MSMEs to come forward and the state government to provide all the help in getting the licence and other facilities,” said Sehgal.
PRISONERS ENGAGED IN MAKING MASKS
The state government has asked the prison department to involve inmates in getting production of masks increased.
“We have involved jail inmates in making masks in about 50 prisons in the state,” said ADG, prisons, Dr Sharad on the phone.