Days after the All India Mask Manufacturers Association urged the Modi government to remove restrictions on the exports of N-95 masks, the Centre on Tuesday removed export curbs on N-95/FFP-2 masks, to promote outbound shipments of the item.
A notification issued by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) says: "The export policy of N-95/FFP-2 masks or its equivalent is amended from restricted to free category, making all types of masks freely exportable."
Back in August, a monthly export quota of 50 lakh units was fixed for N-95/FFP2 masks or its equivalent for issuance of export licences to eligible applicants.
Here's the DGFT notifications:
The masks are used to control the spread of the novel coronavirus pandemic.
The DGFT last month said that a monthly export quota of 50 lakh units has been fixed for N-95/FFP2 masks or its equivalent for issuance of export licences to eligible applicants.
Reacting to the DGFT's statement, the All India Mask Manufacturers Association Vice-President Anshumali Jain said: "We would request the government to please open up the export of N-95 masks without any restrictions. Currently, there is a limit of 50 lakh per month on its exports which has been imposed by the government."
The central government had put restrictions on the export of medical equipment like PPE, masks, and gloves to prevent a shortage of these items in India during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The decision comes as India on 6 October reported a sharp drop in the number of daily coronavirus cases. As many as 61,267 cases and 884 fatalities were reported in a span of 24 hours. Also, the active cases have reduced in the last 24 hours, indicating that a higher number of people recovered from the virus in comparison to new cases, according to the health ministry.
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