Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Chhattishgarh will soon have a new National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER) as announced by Union finance minister, Arun Jetley in his budget speech this year. The Department of Pharmaceutical (DoP) has written to all the three state secretaries for the availability of land in the state of Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Chattisgarh and to finance ministry regarding the budget allocation for the construction of new NIPERs in these states.

In the recent 22nd steering committee meeting of the NIPERs of Mohali, Hyderabad, Kolkatta, Raiberli, Hajipur, Ahmedabad and Guwahati, the committee members stated that though the finance minister in his budget speech had proposed three new NIPERs in Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Chhattishgarh, there was lack of clarity on the issue. Now, the finance minister will be requested to clarify the same for moving forward.

“The DoP has written to secretaries of states for the land because acquisition of land is the first step for the construction of institute. So, last month we had written to all three state secretaries for the availability of land in their states. We have also written to finance ministry for the budget allocation so that we can move forward,” said Dr. Ariz Ahammed, joint secretary of DoP.

The DoP aims to set up ten more NIPERs over the next five years to enhance the availability of skilled human resources in the pharma sector. At present, there are seven NIPERs across India located in Mohali, Hyderabad, Kolkatta, Raiberli, Hajipur, Ahmedabad and Guwahati.

NIPER is the first national level institute in pharmaceutical sciences and centre of excellence for advanced studies and research in pharmaceutical sciences. The government of India has declared NIPER as an 'Institute of National Importance'. The institute offers masters and doctoral degrees in pharmaceutical sciences.

It is an autonomous body set up under the aegis of department of pharmaceuticals, ministry of chemicals and fertilizers. The institute is conceived to provide leadership in pharmaceutical sciences and related areas not only within the country, but also to the countries in South East Asia, South Asia and Africa. NIPER is also a member of Association of Indian Universities and Association of Commonwealth Universities.