The Rs 441-crore proposal to revive the ailing PSU pharma unit Indian Drugs and Pharmaceuticals Ltd (IDPL) is literally gathering dust in the shelves of the department of pharmaceuticals (DoP) as the Union chemicals minister MK Azhagiri is learnt to be showing no interest in the matter which has been pending for a final decision with the government for quite some time.
According to sources, the files regarding the Rs 441-cr IDPL proposal did not move at all from the ministry during the last more than nine months since the new UPA government came to power at the Centre in which Azhagiri was made the chemicals minister. “The minister is not showing any interest in the matter and the file is there where it was nine months ago,” a senior official said.
Interestingly, the IDPL issue was also figured in the 100-day programme of the UPA government which clearly shows that the government wanted to take a speedy decision on the issue. But, due to the apathetic attitude of the minister on the issue, the file is still gathering dust in the ministry. As per protocol, the minister has to clear the file before sending it to the Prime Minister's Office which in turn will send the file to the cabinet secretary. Then the cabinet secretary will put up the matter before the union cabinet.
If there is unanimity among the members, the cabinet may take a final decision on the issue, otherwise the issue will be referred to another group of ministers (GoM).
IDPL is one of the four public sector pharma units in the country which was declared as sick way back in 1992 by the Board for Industrial & Financial Reconstruction (BIFR). The revival package was formulated and approved by BIFR in February 1994. The Board for Reconstruction of Public Sector Enterprises (BRPSE) recommended the present scheme for approval of the government.
The revival package was placed before the cabinet which considered the proposal at its meeting on May 17, 2007. As there was no consensus on the issue, it was referred to a GoM for consideration. The GoM under AK Antony was constituted on June 1, 2007 and the first meeting was held on October 11, 2007. Other members of the panel were P Chidambaram, Ramvilas Paswan, Anbumani Ramadoss, Oscar Fernandes and Santosh Mohan Dev.
But, after the announcement of general elections in March 2009, Antony referred the matter to the next government mainly due to the resignation of two of the members, health minister Anbumani Ramadoss and labour minister Oscar Fernandes as Antony does not want the curtailed GoM to take any vital decision.