Showing his humanitarian approach, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has waived off Rs 6 crore as a GST amount against Rs 16 crore of imported medicines required to treat a six-month-old baby girl in Mumbai. She is suffering from Spinal Muscular Atrophy, a very rare medical condition that often doesn't let children live beyond 5-months.
Baby Teera's parents have raised Rs 16 crore for her surgery via crowdfunding. It includes the cost of the medicine Zolgensma which is required to be imported from the US.
The family of the infant had written to PM Modi about Teera's medical condition. Former Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis wrote to the prime minister and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman reiterating the request to exempt taxes.
"There is an urgent need of a medicine to save the life of a five month old kid from Mumbai. I humbly request you to pave way for importing the medicine with exemption of various duties. Looking at the financial constraints of the parents and urgent need of saving life, this case needs urgent attention," Fadnavis had said in his letter.
"Teera Kamat, 5 month age girl is suffering from rare genetic disease and only a gene replacement therapy can cure it. Gene Replacement therapy includes a medicine named Zolgensma which needs to be imported from USA costing Rs 16 crores in Indian currency. The girl's parents have raised the requisite amount through crowdfunding. Now the amount that may be needed to pay the taxes applicable on its import such as custom duty and GST comes to around Rs 6 crores which is just out of the reach for the girl's parents. You are, therefore, humbly requested to kindly look into the matter and consider the parents' request as a special case to exempt the import of the medicine from all taxes applicable on it," he had said.
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