Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Tuesday shared words of praise for Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. The reason behind Tharoor’s special note for the Finance Minister came after her support to a young couple, who were trying to save the life of their daughter. The couple had reached out to Shashi Tharoor requesting him to intervene on their behalf and help in the treatment of their baby daughter Niharika. The little one has been diagnosed with High-Risk Neuroblastoma (Stage IV), a rare form of cancer.
The couple conveyed to Tharoor that the medication for their daughter attracted a GST charge of Rs 7 lakh, which they simply could not afford.
Tharoor requested help from Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to obtain a GST exemption of the said amount on the cancer medication. On March 15, Tharoor sent a letter to Nirmala Sitharaman asking her to exempt the couple from the GST on humanitarian grounds. The Thiruvananthapuram MP has even shared images of the letter he sent to the Finance Minister and an account of swift actions that helped the patient get medication in time.
Rising India Summit 2023 LIVE Updates: India voice of global south, says Jaishankar
The child, who has completed certain stages of treatment, is still at significant risk of a potential relapse of the disease. The doctors had suggested immunotherapy treatment for her and administering of Dinutuximab Beta (Qarziba), in particular. This is an extremely expensive medicine, currently imported at a price of Rs 10 lakh per vial.
As per Tharoor’s letter, the cost of a full cycle of immunotherapy is estimated to be around Rs 63 lakh. The couple has managed to raise most of the funds through crowdfunding and donations. However, imported medicines being subject to GST added a significant burden of another Rs 7 lakh.
Tharoor’s request on behalf of the parents was being sought on the grounds of the genuine humanitarian nature of the case, as well as the fact that a young child's life could be saved through this treatment.
However, Tharoor did not receive a response from the office of the Finance Minister. Meanwhile, the couple approached Tharoor again on March 26 asking for his help explaining that the medicine was stuck at Mumbai airport for customs clearances due to non-payment of GST.
At this point, the Congress leader contacted the minister directly and informed her that since the injection was perishable and would expire soon, the baby’s life could only be saved with Sitharaman exercising her authority immediately.
He mentioned that the Finance Minister was sympathetic and within half an hour her PS, Sernya Bhutia, informed Tharoor that she had spoken to the Chairman of the Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs.
Within the next 10 minutes, Chairman Vivek Johari asked Tharoor for more documentation, and by 7 pm on March 28, the exemption was granted.
Tharoor thanked the Finance Minister and her team for having reaffirmed his faith in government, politics, and in humanity.
(Edited by : Sudarsanan Mani)
First Published: Mar 29, 2023 12:44 PM IST
Check out our in-depth Market Coverage, Business News & get real-time Stock Market Updates on CNBC-TV18. Also, Watch our channels CNBC-TV18, CNBC Awaaz and CNBC Bajar Live on-the-go!
Over 50 onion farmers detained in Nashik ahead of PM Modi's visit
May 16, 2024 11:14 AM
Why Google CEO is cautiously optimistic about the election year
May 16, 2024 9:51 AM
Mark Mobius reveals how markets will react if NDA wins 400+ Lok Sabha seats
May 15, 2024 8:09 PM