NEW DELHI: Eleven Indian firms, including garment manufacturers and healthcare companies, are now producing protective suits to be worn by healthcare workers at the frontline of Covid-19 fight while two others are churning out masks for public.
To plug the gap in demand and supply of protective gear for coronavirus, the government has roped in small- and medium-scale manufacturers in the country. A senior official in the textile ministry told that 11 firms are producing personal protective equipment (PPE) suits while two are providing masks, including N-95.
The firms include Gujarat-based denim maker Arvind Mills, three from the garment hub of Tirupur in Tamil Nadu, and others from Ghaziabad, Gurugram, Bengaluru, Chennai and Kolkata.
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“Around five more firms will start manufacturing these items,” the official said. So far,10 lakh masks have been supplied since February second week. The firms have also produced 5,000 protective suits in two days. Officials said they are hoping to raise the supply of suits to 8,000 per day by March 30.
The products are being procured by HLL, a government of India undertaking in Thiruvanthapuram, and are being distributed for free in government hospitals for staff and for public purchase in in government-run healthcare centres.
