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Rural poor, farmers to get affordable medicines through Jan Aushadi Kendra: Amit Shah

Speaking at the National PACS Mega Conclave, the Minister said that around 241 Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) have opened Jan Aushadi Kendras across India.

• By Pooja Chaturvedi Sah
• New Delhi
• Jan 09, 2024

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In a move to bridge healthcare gaps and enhance medical accessibility and affordability in rural India, Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah on Monday announced that the Government will facilitate setting up Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) in each village, which will be financially linked with the affordable medicine shops Jan Aushadhi Kendras. 

“PACS can expand their business activities to open 'Jan Aushadi Kendras' across the country under model bye-laws and this will ensure that the rural poor and farmers will be able to avail the benefit of generic medicines at affordable rates like their urban counterparts” said the Union Home Minister. 

Speaking at the National PACS Mega Conclave, the Minister said that around 241 Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) have opened Jan Aushadi Kendras across India. "In the last six months, 4,470 applications from PACS were received. Out of these, in-principle approval has been given to 2,373 PACS. Around 241 of them have started operating Jan Aushadi Kendras," Shah said.

During the seminar, the Minister also gave the Jan Aushadi Kendra 'store code' certificates to five eligible PACS. 

“So far, the government's Jan Aushadi Kendras have been mostly located in urban areas which benefitted the urban poor who could get affordable medicines ranging from ₹10 to ₹30. But now with PACS, this benefit is being extended to the rural poor too”, said Shah. 

Highlighting the Government’s steps to streamline the Jan Aushadi Kendras to ensure that the poor get medicines at 8-30 per cent of the cost, the Minister said that the move has helped improve the health of the poor who have been able to save an estimated ₹26,000 crore on medicines in the last nine years. 

About 40 field officers have been deployed to help PACS in running these stores, informed the Minister. 

The Pradhan Mantri Bharatiya Jan Aushadi Kendras (PMBJKs) provide generic medicines costing around 50%-90% less than the branded medicines available in the market. Over 2,000 types of generic medicines and 300 surgical items are made available through these kendras at affordable prices.

Citing examples, the Union Minister said that the cancer medicines which cost about ₹2,250 in the open market are sold at ₹250. Medicines for dialysis that cost Rs. 65 are available for only Rs. 5 in Jan Aushadhi Kendras. “Even rural girls can buy sanitary napkin at Re 1 from these shops”, he adds. 

Speaking at the occasion, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said that 2,000 Jan Aushadhi Kendras are planned to be opened through PACS in the first phase. 

Stating that the Department of Pharmaceuticals has already approved more than 2,300 applications from PACS for opening Jan Aushadhi Kendras in the country, out of which 500 are already functional at present, the Health Minister further said that “opening Jan Aushadhi Kendras through PACS would strengthen PACS as a cooperative organization besides expanding the reach of quality and affordable medicines in the country”. 

At present, there are around 63,000 functional PACS in the country. However, the Government plans to establish about 2 lakh PACS in the next five years, with at least one PAC at village level. “Why PACS were shutting down? The main reason was that in the byelaws of PACS there was no provision to do other business activities apart from agri-credit. So, we came out with a model byelaw including a provision to do 22 different activities," said Shah.

Asserting that there cannot be a cooperative movement without a strong foundation of PACS across India, the Union Minister informed that PACS are now engaged in different businesses. “Some of them have opened Jan Aushadi Kendras, common service centres (CSCs), while some are operating as LPG and fertiliser distributor, petrol pump and ration shop operator and they soon will also be able to provide flight booking service”, he added.

“These 200,000 PACS will act as business centres and boost the rural economy”, said Shah.