With the Government hiking the share for new schemes towards technical upgradation of pharma units and the Jan Aushadhi project by over 50 per cent over the revised figures of the current year, the total share for the Department of Pharmaceuticals has gone up considerably in the budget for the next financial year.


As per the budget proposals, presented by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, the total allocation for the DoP during 2011-12 went to Rs.213 crore from Rs.198 crore in the current year. Though, the budget last year proposed Rs.198 crore, it had to be revised to Rs.156.15 crore as many new schemes could not take off.


Out of the total Rs.213 crore for the next year, the Plan allocation is to the tune of Rs.175 crore while Rs.38 crore comes through non-Plan sources. The overall increase was due to the hike in provisions for new schemes towards technical upgradation and R & D in the field of pharmaceuticals including the Jan Aushadhi project during the remaining period of the current Five Year Plan.


The allocation for the new schemes in the last budget was Rs.133.86 crore. But it was later revised at just Rs.98.50 crore. The share of the Plan allocation for the same next year would be Rs.134.80 crore, as the DoP had already submitted many new schemes including the one for technical upgradation fund for the SMEs.


Likewise, the allocation for the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER) also went up sharply from Rs.47.18 crore of the current year to Rs.132.31 crore in the new budget proposals. With new NIPERs in place, the budget estimate of Rs.47.18 crore was revised at Rs.71.22 crore during this fiscal. But even that amount has gone nearly double in the budget for next year.


The share for the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) in the new budget has gone to Rs.8.28 crore, up from Rs.6.11 crore during the current fiscal year. The proposed investment in the five pharmaceutical units in the public sector during the next year will be Rs.22.45 crore, against Rs.40 crore during the year of 2010-11, according to the notes on demands and grants.