Check hoarding, Labour Minister writes to Yogi

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 9

Union Labour Minister Santosh Kumar Gangwar has suggested to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to provide relief from cess to hospital and industrial units producing medical oxygen in Bareilly district. In a letter to CM Adityanath, Gangwar said the oxygen plants could be given 50 per cent relief under the SMEs category, as provided by the government in Madhya Pradesh.

Gangwar drew the attention of the CM to complaints of shopkeepers selling medical devices like ventilators at inflated prices on the black market. Seeking the state government’s intervention, he suggested that the prices of medical equipment and devices be fixed. He also referred to complaints of shortage of oxygen cylinders due to hoarding and profiteering by locals. He alleged that senior medical officers remain inaccessible to the public amid the crisis, switching off their phones.

Gangwar asked the CM to ensure that Covid patients were admitted to referral hospitals without any hassle and that all hospitals in Bareilly covered under Ayushman Bharat were provided Covid vaccines.