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Earnings from the Jan Aushadhi Kendras (JAKs), the affordable generic medicines retailing under the Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP) launched by the Department of Pharmaceuticals (DoP), has gone up almost 236 times in ten years till 2023-24. The Kendras have reported sales of medicines worth Rs. 6,462 crore during the period, according to the ministry of chemicals and fertilisers.
According to the official data, the earnings of JAKs have grown from Rs. 1.46 crore in the financial year 2014-15 to Rs. 345.18 crore in 2023-24. The earnings hit double digits in 2017-18, at Rs. 35.25 crore, and reached three digits in three years to Rs. 168.87 crore in 2020-21.
The earnings reported a 12.2 per cent growth in the fiscal year 2023-24, as compared to Rs. 307.77 crore in the year 2022-23.
The sales, at maximum retail price (MRP) value, grew 18.94 per cent during the fiscal year 2023-24, at Rs. 1,470 crore as against Rs. 1,235.95 crore during the previous fiscal year. The year 2022-23 saw a growth of 38.32 per cent compared to the Rs. 893.56 crore sale reported in 2021-22, according to the data from the Ministry.
The Ministry estimates that about 10 to 12 lakh consumers buy medicines daily from JAKs.
"It is estimated that about 10 to 12 lakh consumers buy medicines daily from Jan Aushadhi Kendras. In the last 10 years, sales of medicines worth Rs. 6,462 crore have been made through Jan Aushadhi Kendras, which has resulted in estimated savings of about Rs. 30,000 crore to citizens as compared to branded medicines," said Anupriya Patel, minister of state in the ministry of chemicals and fertilisers, in the Parliament earlier this month.
Under the Scheme, the Ministry has reported opening of around 15,000 JAKs till the end of January, 2025, of which the highest number of Kendras are opened in Uttar Pradesh (2,644), followed by Kerala (1,525), Karnataka (1,417) and Tamil Nadu (1,357). Almost 351 Kendras are opened in the North Eastern States
Out of the total number of Kendras, close to 50 per cent - almost 7,484 Kendras - were opened between 2019-20 and 2023-24.
A total of 2,047 medicines and 300 surgicals, medical consumables and devices are under the scheme product basket, covering all major therapeutic groups, such as cardiovascular, anti-cancers, anti-diabetic, anti-infectives, anti-allergic and gastro-intestinal medicines and nutraceuticals.
Medicines are provided at rates that are about 50% to 80% cheaper than those of branded medicines. The government is planning to open 25,000 JAKs by March 31, 2027.
All JAK owners are eligible for incentive at the rate of 20% of the monthly purchases made by them, subject to a monthly ceiling of Rs. 20,000 and meeting certain conditions such as maintaining stock of specified medicines.
In addition, a one-time incentive of Rs. 2 lakh is provided to outlets opened in the North-Eastern States, Himalayan areas, Island territories and aspirational districts or those opened by women entrepreneurs, ex-servicemen, divyangjan and members of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, as support towards furniture, computers, refrigerators and other fixtures.
In order to ensure quality of medicines supplied through the JAKs, the Ministry said that the medicines are procured only from suppliers certified for World Health Organisation's (WHO) Good Manufacturing Practices, and each batch of drugs supplied under the scheme is tested at laboratories accredited by the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) and only after passing quality tests, medicines are dispatched to the Kendras.
Quality audit of the facilities of vendors is routinely done by the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Bureau of India, the implementing agency under the DoP, it added.
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