Govt targets 10,500 Janaushadhi Kendras by end-March 2025
19 Sep 2020
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Government has set a target of increasing the number of Pradhan Mantri Janaushadhi Kendras (PMBJK) to 10,500 by the end of March 2025, from 6,606 at present (as on 15 September).
With this all the districts in the country will have Janaushadhi Kendras . This will ensure easy reach of affordable medicine to the people in every nook and corner of the country, union minister for chemicals and fertilizers D V Sadananda Gowda has said.
The Narendra Modi government launched Janaushadhi Kendras with a vision to provide quality medicines at affordable rates for the common man, especially the poor.
He said the period from March to June 2020 has been very challenging for PMBJP with shortage of API and other raw material of pharmaceuticals, disturbance in supply of medicines to Jan Aushadhi kendras from central and regional warehouses due to non-availability of vehicles for transportation, etc.
Keeping this in view, and with the expansion plan the government has chalked out an effective IT-enabled logistics and supply-chain system for ensuring real-time distribution of medicines at all outlets, the minister said.
At present four warehouses of PMBJP (Janaushadhi) are functional at Gurugram, Chennai, Bengaluru and Guwahati. Further, it is planned to open two more warehouses in Western and Central India. In addition, appointment of distributors in states/UTs is also being envisioned to strengthen the supply chain system.
PMBJP, the Scheme has been approved with a budget of Rs490 crore for the period 2020-21 to 2024- 25.
Despite the Covid lockdown and testing times Janaushadhi Kendras achieved appreciable sales turnover of Rs146.59 crore in the first quarter of 2020-21 against Rs75.48 crore in the first quarter of 2019-20. From July to September 2020 (till 15 September), the stores added sales of Rs109.43 crore, taking total sales up to 15 September to Rs256.02 crore.
PMBJP has drastically brought down the prices of quality medicines and making medicines available within the reach of large section of population, especially the poor, the minister pointed out.
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