India, Feb. 1 -- Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman, who is presenting her eighth consecutive budget in the Parliament, announced that 36 life-saving drugs would be exempted from basic customs duty.

These drugs include essential medicines used to treat cancer and other rare diseases, the finance minister said.

The finance minister further announced that her government will also exempt basic custom duty on 37 additional medicines in the coming financial year.

The government had earlier cut customs duties on Trastuzumab Deruxtecan, Osimertinib and Durvalumab from 10 per cent to nil.

"To provide relief to patients, particularly those suffering from cancer, rare diseases and other severe chronic diseases, I propose to add 36 lifesa...