The Government has expanded access to affordable healthcare through a nationwide network of Jan Aushadhi Kendras, strengthened drug price regulation mechanisms and announced a major push to build a globally competitive biopharmaceutical ecosystem.
Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilizers Anupriya Patel shared these developments in a written reply in Rajya Sabha, outlining measures aimed at improving affordability, accessibility and innovation in the pharmaceutical sector.
Under the Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana, the Government continues to scale up the availability of quality generic medicines through dedicated retail outlets known as Jan Aushadhi Kendras. These outlets provide medicines at prices that are approximately 50 percent to 80 percent lower than branded alternatives, significantly reducing the financial burden on patients.
The scheme currently offers a comprehensive product basket comprising 2110 medicines and 315 surgical items, medical consumables and devices. These products cover a wide spectrum of therapeutic categories including cardiovascular diseases, cancer treatment, diabetes management, anti infectives, anti allergic medicines, gastro intestinal treatments and nutraceuticals, ensuring that essential healthcare needs are addressed.
The Government has set an ambitious target to increase the number of Jan Aushadhi Kendras across the country to 20000 by March 31, 2026, with the objective of ensuring wider geographical reach and equitable access to affordable medicines. As of February 28, 2026, Tamil Nadu alone has 1559 such centres operational, reflecting significant penetration in key states.
To improve awareness and acceptance of generic medicines, the implementing agency Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Bureau of India has intensified outreach efforts through multi platform campaigns. These campaigns are conducted in coordination with institutions such as the Central Bureau of Communication, Press Information Bureau, MyGov and MY Bharat, using print media, television, radio, social media and outdoor publicity.
Citizen engagement has been further strengthened through digital initiatives such as WhatsApp chatbots and outbound call campaigns, which provide information on product quality, pricing benefits and locations of nearby Jan Aushadhi Kendras.
The Government also observes Jan Aushadhi Week annually in the first week of March, during which a series of activities including health camps, public rallies, seminars in pharmacy institutions and community outreach programmes are conducted nationwide. These initiatives aim to educate citizens, healthcare professionals and stakeholders about the effectiveness and affordability of generic medicines.
In addition, audio and video messages from public representatives and medical professionals are disseminated widely to address misconceptions regarding the quality of generic medicines and reinforce public confidence.
Special focus has been placed on rural outreach through health camps, street plays, audio visual campaigns at Common Service Centres and workshops conducted in local languages and dialects, ensuring deeper penetration of awareness at the grassroots level.
Alongside expanding access, the Government has reinforced regulatory mechanisms to ensure affordability of medicines across both public and private sectors. Drug pricing continues to be governed by the Drugs Prices Control Order 2013.
Under this framework, the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority fixes ceiling prices of scheduled formulations listed under Schedule I and determines retail prices of new drugs. For non scheduled formulations, manufacturers are prohibited from increasing maximum retail prices by more than 10 percent within a 12 month period.
In exceptional circumstances and in public interest, the authority also retains the power to fix ceiling or retail prices of any drug. These regulations are uniformly applicable across all sectors, including private hospitals, ensuring that patients are protected from overpricing.
The authority actively monitors drug prices and takes action against violations in accordance with the provisions of the Drugs Prices Control Order, thereby strengthening accountability and consumer protection in the pharmaceutical market.
In a parallel strategic initiative, the Government has announced the Biopharma SHAKTI scheme with a financial outlay of 10000 crore rupees over a period of five years. The scheme is designed to strengthen India’s domestic capabilities in biologics and biosimilars and position the country as a global hub for biopharmaceutical manufacturing and innovation.
The scheme aims to create a robust ecosystem by supporting research and development, manufacturing, clinical trials and regulatory frameworks. Its components include the establishment of a Biopharma Discovery Grant Fund and a Discovery and Development Equity Fund to promote innovation and early stage research.
A nationwide network of biopharma focused institutions under the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research will be strengthened, alongside the creation of a National Biopharma Research and Development Network to facilitate collaboration between academia, research institutions and industry.
A major focus area is the development of a nationwide clinical trial infrastructure. The scheme envisages the creation of 1000 accredited clinical trial sites under the Indian Council of Medical Research, aimed at expanding India’s clinical research capacity and enhancing global credibility.
The initiative also includes incentives for fermentation based bulk drug manufacturing, development of delivery devices and packaging ecosystems, and support for biosimilars and emerging biologics manufacturing.
To streamline regulatory processes, the scheme proposes strengthening the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation through the establishment of a dedicated scientific review cadre, including specialists in advanced fields such as gene therapy. This is expected to enable faster, globally credible approvals and improve regulatory efficiency.
The Biopharma SHAKTI scheme is also expected to reduce India’s dependence on imports over time by promoting domestic manufacturing capabilities and fostering innovation across the value chain. By enhancing competitiveness in the global biopharmaceutical market, the initiative seeks to position India as a key player in next generation healthcare solutions.
Officials stated that the combined approach of expanding access to affordable medicines, enforcing price regulations and investing in advanced biopharmaceutical capabilities reflects a comprehensive strategy to strengthen the healthcare ecosystem.
The initiatives are expected to not only improve affordability and accessibility for patients but also drive long term growth, innovation and self reliance in the pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical sectors.
