The Tamil Nadu government is committed to establish a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) for the development of pharma industry in the state, said B V Remana, minister for environment, government of Tamil Nadu.

Delivering a speech as chief guest in the pharmacy week celebration function organised by Indian Pharmacy Graduates’ Association (IPGA), TN branch, the minister said the government will provide its maximum support to fulfill the expectations of all the stakeholders of pharma and biotech industries in the state.  He said Tamil Nadu is proud to have a tradition of drug manufacturing of Siddha. In future, the state will take the pioneer role in the manufacturing of medicines and pharmaceutical research.

Responding to a suggestion made by the state drugs controller G Selvaraj, the minister said the industry should forward a proposal for the SEZ to the minister so that he would take it to the chief minister for government’s consent. The minister, who is a diploma holder in pharmacy, hailed the profession of pharmacy as an excellent service and said pharmacists are doing researches in DNA and Stem cell Technology to cure life threatening diseases like cancer, AIDS etc.

The speaker of Tamil Nadu legislative assembly, D Jayakumar, who was also one of the chief guests in the function, said the government has formed one Medical Recruitment Board, which will soon recruit 14000 health professionals including doctors, nurses and pharmacists.

“There are more health facilities in Tamil Nadu. The government will support pharmacy research and production of drugs. In the state, currently the production is less. So the government will support a SEZ,” said the speaker. He hoped that before long Tamil Nadu would become the health capital of India.

Former director of drugs control department N Selvaraju, present director G Selvaraj, IPGA secretary M Dilipkumar, AIDCOC national secretary R Uday Bhaskar, Dr K Rukmini and Dr C Senthil Kumar spoke on various subjects related to pharmacy.

The function ended with the election of new office-bearers for IPGA TN Branch for 2012-13.