The Confederation of Indian Pharmaceutical Industries (CIPI), the apex organization of state level small scale pharmaceutical units, has planned a 'hunger strike' in New Delhi on February 5, 2005 to protest against the MRP based excise regime.

Conducted at the Jandhar Mandhir since morning, more than 500 SSI pharmaceutical entrepreneurs from all the North Indian states would participate in the one-day hunger strike, informed T S Jaishankar, chairma of CIPI.

On the next day, CIPI is also convening an all India meeting of CIPI members in New Delhi, to be attended by the union minister for SSIs.