Subsidies for units ready to make med equipment: TN govt

Announcing a series of sops, Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami said that increasing production of crucial medical equipment to treat the virus has been the need of the hour.

A communique from the Secretariat stated that the State Industries department will encourage new manufacturers interested in producing invasive ventilators, masks, drugs like hydroxychloroquine, Azithromycin and VitaminC tablets. Those who can manufacture multiparameter ICU monitors besides drug-manufacturing firms would be treated as thrust sectors with singlewindow clearances for immediate manufacture of the medical needs, the release said.

The State will encourage all new players with a subsidy of 30 per cent investment capital with a maximum upper limit of Rs 20 crore. This subsidy will be given over a period of five years, the officials explained.

These manufacturers can also get the necessary land and sheds required for operations through State Industries Promotion Corporation of Tamil Nadu and the State Industries Guidance Bureau by entering into short-term and long-term lease agreements.

The existing manufacturers will also be allowed to benefit from the scheme to increase productivity and the state will purchase 50 per cent of the procurement through purchase guarantee agreement, according to the the communique issued by the State government.

The protective gears for all field personnel namely masks, PPE kits have been sourced from multiple agencies and there will not be any registration charges or fee for these new firms or the manufacturers of the corona kits, the statement clarified adding that the window period for special package will be available to manufacturers with production target before July 31, 2020.