Foreseeing that the Union health ministry’s decision to increase the fees for manufacturing licence and product registration for pharmaceutical products will cause for elimination of several small scale pharma units from the field of drugs production, the Madhya Pradesh branch of the Indian Pharmaceutical Association (MP IPA) plans to convene a meeting of the representatives of all the state organisations of pharma SSI units in New Delhi to muster support for their agitation and to pressurize the central government to withdraw from its move for fee hike.
The meeting is likely to be held in the second week of this month in the Madhya Pradesh Bhavan in New Delhi. The exact date will come out in next two days, sources informed.
“Though manufacturers’ associations from all the states are compelling the government to abandon the decision and submitting separate memoranda, a common demand in this regard has to come out from all the state units. So, we, MP IPA unit, are planning to get the signatures of all state associations and request for their support to a common demand. We are just passing on the voices of the struggling small scale manufacturers to the authorities. MP IPA is taking the initiative as we have more than one hundred SSI units, hence we seek the support of likeminded associations,” said Dr M P Rijwani, president of Madhya Pradesh IPA.
Dr Rijwani said a national level agitation is the only source to force the government to desist from its stand as the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI)’s reported statement is that the government is compelled to increase the rate due to various reasons. So, a change in the decision cannot be expected from the DCGI side, only the health ministry can do anything in favour of the small scale entrepreneurs.
When asked why IPA national body is not coming into the forefront, he replied that the meeting is convened mainly to coordinate the industry fellows of MP and those who have gone to Himachal and Uttarakhand from our state to avail excise relaxations, but later MP IPA has decided to involve other state units also to the meeting. This is a chance for all SSI units to express their opinions for a joint common representation to the government. He said, in states where there are no associations, individual manufacturer can also attend the meeting which has only one agenda.
Responding to the news about the Delhi meeting organised by MP IPA, M Purushothaman, president of Kerala Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association (KPMA) said he will send one representative to the meeting with a memorandum to be submitted to the government. He said if the government is going ahead with its plan for increasing the fees, only one or two companies will survive in Kerala, and all other units will close down for ever. Further, he pointed out one possible thing that the situation would persuade the small scale manufacturers to depend on the industrial units in Buddy to become marketing agents.
A Karunakaran, president of the Pondicherry Drug Manufacturers Association (PDMA) has said his organisation is part of Tamil Nadu IDMA, so he will discuss the matter with TN IDMA. He also said the fee hike will affect the small scale pharma units in the Union Territory.
Objecting the move of the government, the Indian Drugs Manufacturers Association (IDMA) has already appealed to the government to reconsider its plan to increase the product registration and licence fees. But the association is silent over the issue after giving a representation. That is why, MP IPA has decided to convene a national level meeting in New Delhi and coordinate all the state associations with their programmes in this regard.