ISSUE DATE: May 10, 2021
UPDATED: May 1, 2021 19:48 IST
Workers at Matrix Clothing Factory in Gurugram, Haryana, in February 2021, by Chandradeep Kumar
The concern in Prakash Padikkal’s voice is quite palpable. Padikkal, 65, owns Havistha Steel, a company in Navi Mumbai that makes equipment and storage tanks for the chemicals, food and pharmaceutical sectors. Classified as an essential business, Padikkal is allowed to keep work going, exempted from the restrictions in place in Maharashtra, which were just extended from May 1 until May 15. Nonetheless, he says he faces a financial squeeze, with low demand because of various Covid-19 lockdowns across India on the one side and rising input costs on the other. He says prices of one input mild steel have shot up from near Rs 40 a kg to about Rs 85 a kg, and that he is stuck with the loss since many of his contracts use fixed prices.
UK Trade Policy Observatory
As the Covid-19 crisis continues across India, the pandemic has highlighted a new dimension to the UK-India partnership, particularly in health and vaccine supply and distribution. And despite the UK Prime Minister’s intended trip to India being cancelled due to the second wave of Covid-19, the two countries’ ‘Enhanced Trade Partnership’ (ETP) remains at the centre of attention as a roadmap to a potential Free Trade Agreement (FTA). But the road towards a UK-India FTA will not be straightforward.
In this, the second of two blogs (first here) on the distinct bilateral characteristics that set the UK-India negotiations apart from the usual trade talks, we examine the strong business-to-business links, important geopolitical factors including vaccine supplies, and the potential for development gains.
CII offers help to set up oxygen facilities at government hospitals
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The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and CII Foundation have offered support to set up oxygen distribution facilities at two government hospitals in the State.
Under the initiative, COVID-19 rehabilitation support is being extended for setting up a piped oxygen facility at the Paravoor Taluk Headquarters Hospital having a capacity of 50 beds and at the Community Health Centre (CHC), Moothakunnam, having a capacity of 35 beds, at a cost of ₹14 lakh.
The CII has further recommended its member organisations to meet the expenses of vaccinating their employees, family members and nearby community, to reduce the financial burden on the State government.
CII extends support in strengthening medical infrastructure
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The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has come forward to lend a helping hand to strengthen the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic by partnering with its member companies across Southern region. C. K. Ranganathan, chairman, CII Southern region, pointed out that many of the CII member companies in the healthcare, pharma, life sciences and medical equipment sectors have ramped up production of essential medical supplies, like medical oxygen, ventilators, makeshift hospitals, ICU beds, Remdesivir and other viral drugs, which are of immediate requirement for hospitals and primary health centres.
Google, Amazon, Blackstone Join Global Race To Fight India Covid Crisis Google, Amazon, Blackstone Join Global Race To Fight India Covid Crisis Ambani s Reliance, Tata Steel Ltd., ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India and JSW Steel Ltd. are among manufacturers that have diverted thousands of metric tons of liquid medical oxygen from their plants.
Health workers assist patients outside a quarantine center in Mumbai, on April 27.
As Indian authorities and hospitals struggle to cope with record Covid-19 infections and deaths, companies ranging from the nation s biggest conglomerate to global giants like Amazon.com Inc. are stepping in to help ease the crisis.