The Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals is in talks with the governments of Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and West Bengal to see if they are willing to spare sufficient land and funds for setting up National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER) like institutions in these states. The suggested areas are Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Kolkatta and Hajipur.

The department move is based on the recommendations of the expert committee headed by Pronab Sen some time back. The committee had recommended that the state government should provide 70 to 100 acres of land for the purpose.

According to an official release, the department will, on getting the response from the concerned state governments, take up the matter with the Planning Commission and the Ministry of Finance for further approval. The existing NIPER Act would also be amended.

NIPER was set up by the Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals, which also administers the pharmaceutical sector, under an Act of Parliament on June 26, 1988. As the first national-level institute of its kind in the field of pharmaceutical sciences, NIPER provides doctoral and post-graduate degree courses in pharmaceutical sciences, the release added.