Outlets under the government’s flagship affordable drugs scheme, Pradhan Mantri Bharatiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP), will soon start selling ayurvedic products like amla, triphala, ashwagandha and chyawanprash too, ThePrint has learnt.
This would signify a major change in policy, as the jan aushadhi scheme — originally launched by the UPA government and then relaunched by Narendra Modi’s NDA government as PMBJP — only sold generic allopathic medicines.
There are currently 5,500 pharmacy outlets across the country under PMBJP, and the government has selected 20 ayurvedic products to be sold in these outlets.Discussions on the matter had started last year, but now, the plan has now received a go-ahead from the Department of Pharmaceuticals under the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers, which oversees PMBJP.
“We will start rolling out the tenders to procure the list of drugs shared by the Ministry of AYUSH. The eligibility of manufacturers is based on WHO-GMP certified companies along with central or state-run ayurvedic drug manufacturers,” said Sachin Singh, chief executive officer of the Bureau of Pharma PSUs of India (BPPI), the government arm that executes the Jan Aushadhi scheme.
