Key Points:
- On Wednesday, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman appreciated the industry for their restraint and tolerance amidst the second Covid-19 wave.
- “I would request the industry to watch the next few days a bit more carefully, and then assess for yourself what this quarter is going to be like,” Ms Sitharaman said in a virtual address to the members of FICCI.
- During the next 15 days, as the FM Nirmala Sitharaman said, the supply of oxygen that is already being monitored, will be kept track of, even closely.
On Wednesday, just a day before India’s COVID-19 cases spiked to be the highest in the world, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman appreciated the industry for their restraint and tolerance amidst the second Covid-19 wave.
Along with some applause, Sitharaman also asked the Indian industries to ‘wait and watch’ for a few days to accurately evaluate the situation even when the Government is taking policy measures to protect lives as well as livelihoods.
The Finance Minister promised India Inc of full government support to overcome the pandemic’s impact. Sitharaman made these remarks in two separate online meetings with industry captains, organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and Ficci.
“I am sure all of us together will understand how best to now ramp up and sustain the growth momentum, which all of us are keen to see between the last quarter and this quarter,” she said.
“I would request the industry to watch the next few days a bit more carefully, and then assess for yourself what this quarter is going to be like,” Ms Sitharaman said in a virtual address to the members of FICCI National Executive Committee.
In the virtual meet, FM Nirmala Sitharaman mentioned that the Indian Government has extended the Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme (ECGLS 2.0) for the hospitality, aviation, travel, tourism and hotels sectors who have faced great difficulty since the start of the pandemic.
“We have extended the ECGLS 2.0 for these sectors and I will ensure the efficiency with which it was performing last year shall perform even for the aviation and tourism sector,” the Finance Minister said.
During the next 15 days, as the FM Nirmala Sitharaman said, the supply of oxygen that is already being monitored, will be kept track of, even closely.
Sitharaman also said that the Oxygen Supply permissions have been granted to the most Covid-19 affected states like Delhi, Maharashtra, UP, Chhattisgarh, MP, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
“Measures that the government is taking include importing medical oxygen, round the clock working of the oxygen filling stations and allowing containers used for nitrogen and argon to be used for oxygen,” she said.
