In a big boost to the jinxed 'Jan Aushadhi Scheme', launched by the Department of Pharmaceuticals (DoP) way back in 2008 to provide quality medicines at affordable prices to the common people of the country, the Central government will soon open 1000 more stores under this scheme.

Union minister of state for chemicals and fertilisers Hansraj Ahir disclosed that the government proposes to soon open 1000 more stores under the ‘Jan Aushadhi Scheme’ to make available quality generic medicines at affordable prices through these special outlets.

Speaking at a function organised by the Indian Social Responsibility Network (ISRN) in New Delhi recently, the minister said that these stores will be opened for the underprivileged who would be provided medicines at a price of 60-70 per cent less than the market price.

The minister further disclosed that his ministry is working on opening 1000 stores under the Jan Aushadhi Scheme on a single day. He said that the stores will be renamed, rebranded and will increasingly involve B. Pharma and M. Pharma qualified unemployed populace.

Jan Aushadhi was an ambitious project of former union chemicals minister Ramvilas Paswan under which the government proposed to open one Jan Aushadhi store in each of the 630 districts of the country. The government launched the project on November 25, 2008 when it opened a Jan Aushadhi store at Amritsar in Punjab. Though some more stores were opened, it did not pick up momentum, mainly due to the apathetic attitude of the DoP officials towards the project.

According to latest data, the government could open merely around 150 Jan Aushadhi stores during the last around seven years since its inception and out of these only around 85 are functioning at present. Besides, out of the 319 essential drugs identified to be supplied through these stores, only 85 drugs across 11 therapeutic groups are presently available at these stores.

By establishing the Jan Aushadhi stores in each district, preferably in the premises of the district hospitals, the government wanted to ensure quality medicines to the poor people at affordable prices. At a time when the prices of medicines are increasingly becoming out of the reach of poorer sections of the society, the Jan Aushadhi stores would have proven to be a boon to the poor people.