Import relief for Covid meds continues
India has extended the exemption period for unrestricted imports of essential Covid medical supplies from China and other countries with which it shares land borders up to October 31, as a measure to pre-empt a third wave of the pandemic, two officials familiar with the matter said on Friday.
The Union finance ministry on Wednesday issued an official order to central ministries and state governments in this regard, they said, requesting anonymity.
On July 23 last year all government agencies were barred from procuring goods and services from bordering countries such as China and Pakistan on grounds of national security. The order, however, exempted certain “special cases” such as procurement of Covid essential medical supplies till December 31, 2020.
Referring to the exemption provisions of the public procurement order dated July 23, 2020, the finance ministry on June 9, 2021 said: “It has been decided to extend the above Para (A) of Special Cases till 31.10.2021.” Para (A) of last year’s (July 23) order said: “Till 31st December 2020, procurement of medical supplies directly related to containment of the Covid-19 pandemic shall be exempt from the provision of this Order.” HT reviewed copies of both the orders.
It is, however, not clear whether this exemption was suspended or withdrawn for about six months between December 31, 2020 and June 9, 2021. “Imports of medical supplies directly related to containment of the Covid-19 pandemic were not hindered during this period and as soon as the issue of expiry of the deadline was flagged, the timeline was extended,” a second official said.
Ministries of finance and commerce did not respond to an email query on this matter.
The government, however, continues to strictly enforce its public procurement policy announced on July 23, 2020, that bars the award of any project to contractors from countries sharing land borders with India without prior registration with a competent authority and security clearance from the ministry of external affairs (MEA) and the ministry of home affairs (MHA).
Nilaya Varma, co-founder and CEO of Primus Partners, said: “As India works towards being self-reliant, there has been a consistent focus on reducing imports. But as we work on strengthening the domestic manufacturing ecosystem, there would be a lag to create capacity. To manage this period, especially amid the pandemic, it was critical to ensure that procurement of supplies directly related to the containment of the pandemic is seamless.”