Government plans to open 1000 more Jan Aushadhi stores

The centre government is planning to open 1000 more stores under the Jan Aushadhi Scheme to make available quality generic medicines at affordable prices through these special outlets. These stores will be opened for the underprivileged who would be provided medicines at a price of 60-70 percent less than the market price, said Hansraj Ahir, Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilisers, while speaking at a function organised by the Indian Social Responsibility Network (ISRN) a facilitation network to build the corporate social responsibility (CSR) space in India, at New Delhi.
 
Ahir said that his ministry is working on opening 1000 stores under the ‘Jan Aushadhi Scheme’ on a single day. He said that the stores will be renamed, rebranded and will increasingly involve B Pharma and M Pharma qualified unemployed populace.
 
The government has been selling generic medicines at affordable prices in the name of Jan Aushadhi medicines since 2008. In February this year, the government decided to permit sale of Jan Aushadhi Medicines through private retailers in addition to Government hospitals and Jan Aushadhi Stores in order to expand the network of sale and to reach out to all sections of the society.
 
Under the new business plan approved in August 2013, a target of opening 3,000 Jan Aushadhi stores during the 12th plan period ie from 2013-14 to 2016-17 has been fixed. As per the Standing Committee on Chemicals and Fertilisers report in March 2015, till date only 170 Jan Aushadhi stores have been opened, of which only 99 are functional.