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The Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Union Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers has recently asked the Pharmaceuticals & Medical Devices Bureau of India (PMBI), which is the implementing agency of Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP), to take stringent measures to prevent any malpractices of the Jan Aushadhi Kendra (JAK) owners to the quality and safety of the medicines sold through the Kendras. The panel, headed by Member of Parliament Kirti Azad Jha, in its fifth report on the Demands for Grants of the Department of Pharmaceuticals (DoP) for the fiscal year 2024-25 submitted in the Lok Sabha during the recently concluded session, expressed its dismay on the issue noting that the DoP has not furnished any specific reply as regards to the mechanism to inspect the JAK retail outlets and malpractices in JAKs. The DoP launched the Jan Aushadhi project with much fanfare on November 25, 2008 when it opened the first Jan Aushadhi store at Amritsar in Punjab. No doubt, it was a bold initiative by the then UPA government to provide generic drugs at affordable prices to the masses. Prices of medicines sold through these Jan Aushadhi stores are cheaper at least by 50 per cent and in some cases medicines are cheaper by 80-90 per cent of the market price of branded medicines. Unfortunately, the scheme never really took-off in the initial years as there were vested interests even within the government who did not really want the scheme to go ahead due to intense pressure from the industry. As a result, the project dragged on for several years, and the target of opening at least 100 stores every year in various parts of the country was never achieved as the government could open only a couple of hundred stores in the first 7 years.
The scheme got a new lease of life when the new government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi not only saw it as a vehicle to provide affordable generic medicines but also an employment avenue for thousands of small entrepreneurs. The scheme was then revamped and rechristened as PMBJP in 2016. Since then, the project has been gaining momentum and the number of stores has steadily been increasing across the country. Presently, there are more than 14,000 JAKs located in 773 districts and the government has now set an ambitious target of opening 25,000 Kendras across the country by March 31, 2026. Over the last 10 years, there has been 200 times increase in sales turnover from Rs. 7.29 crore in 2014 to Rs. 1,470 crore till June 30, 2024. The product basket currently comprises 2047 medicines and 300 surgical and medical consumables, growing from 900 medicines and 154 surgical and medical consumables in 2019-20. No doubt, the PMBJP is cruising towards new heights as more and more people are resorting to generic drugs instead of the branded medicines which are costlier by several times. But, there is still the quality issue which is holding back a large number of people from buying cheaper medicines from JAKs. Even a large section of doctors is also not prescribing generic drugs because of lack of assurance on quality. Since the JAKs are owned and run by private entrepreneurs, it becomes imperative on the part of PMBI to check the quality of medicines sold at JAKs. The PMBI should take stringent measures to prevent any malpractices of the JAK and should ensure the quality and safety of medicines sold through these Kendras. As the customer base for the JAKs is swelling day by day, now quality will be the king.
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