Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope on Thursday claimed the Centre's Department of Pharmaceuticals was slow in granting clearance to essential items imported by the state government in the wake of a surge in COVID-19 cases. "The (Centre's) Department of Pharmaceuticals is not giving speedy approval for various essential items that we have ordered from abroad," he said. It takes various clearances and approvals before the items are dispatched to the state," the minister said. He said a few days back, the state government floated a global tender to purchase various items, including oxygen tanks and oxygen generators, and it has received proposals from many countries. "I have asked the state task force to expedite the process of approval, like technical clearance for oxygen generators.

Source: Mint May 06, 2021 10:01 UTC