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National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (Amendment) Bill, 2021

Posted on December 10, 2021 by admin1  254

In News

Recently,The Rajya Sabha passed the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (Amendment) Bill, 2021.

  • It was cleared by the Lok Sabha on December 6.

Objectives and need 

  • There is a need for more pharmaceutical education and research institutions of national importance in India to suffice the present demands and the emerging trends in the pharmaceutical and health care industry.
  • The requirement for skilled manpower is all time high for making India self-reliant in pharmaceuticals and moving from only manufacturing to innovations. 
    • The NIPER amendment will boost research and innovation at institutes.
  • The bill will help in establishing the pharmaceutical innovation ecosystem in the various pharmaceutical clusters of the country
  • this will help the country to become the pharma capital of the world. Job prospects for students will also be increasing and more trained and multi-skilled manpower will be required for research,

About the bill

  •  The bill seeks to amend the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research Act, 1998.  
    • The 1998 Act established the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Punjab and declared it as an Institution of National Importance. 
      •  An Institution of National Importance refers to an autonomous institute established under an Act, with the power to hold examinations, grant degrees, diplomas and other academic distinctions or titles.  
        • These institutes of national importance receive funding from the central government.  

Major Higlights  

  • New institutions of national importance: 
    • The Bill declares six additional National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research as Institutions of National Importance.  These institutes are located in: (i) Ahmedabad, (ii) Hajipur, (iii) Hyderabad, (iv) Kolkata, (v) Guwahati, and (vi) Raebareli.
  • Establishment of the Council: 
    • The Bill provides for a Council to coordinate the activities among the institutes under the Bill to ensure the development of pharmaceutical education and research and maintenance of standards.  
    • Functions of the Council include: 
      • advising on matters related to course duration, and admission standards in the institutes
      • formulating policies for recruitment, conditions of service, and fees,
      • examining and approving development plans of the institutes, and
      • examining annual budget estimates of the institutes for recommendations to the central government for allocation of funds.
  • Board of Governors: The Act constituted a Board of Governors for control and management of the institute’s affairs.  
    • The Act specifies 23 members in the Board .
      • The Bill reduces the number of members in the Board of Governors for each institute to 12.  
      • The Board will be chaired by an eminent academician or professional.   

Pharmaceutical industry in India

  • The Indian Pharmaceutical Industry has witnessed robust growth over the past few years.
  • Indian medicines are preferred worldwide, thereby rightly making the country the “Pharmacy of the World”.
  • Major Segments of Pharmaceutical Industry are Generic drugs, OTC Medicines and API/Bulk Drugs, Vaccines, Contract Research & Manufacturing, Biosimilars & Biologics.
  • Pharma sector currently contributes to around 1.72% of the country’s GDP
  •  The country now ranks 3rd worldwide by volume of production and 14th by value, thereby accounting for around 10% of the world’s production by volume and 1.5% by value. 
  • Indian exports are destined to more than 200 countries around the globe including highly regulated markets of the US, West Europe, Japan and Australia.
  • FDI policy : Up to 100%, FDI has been allowed through automatic route for Greenfield pharmaceuticals projects. For Brownfield pharmaceuticals projects, FDI allowed is up to 74% through automatic route and beyond that through government approval. 
  • Government Initiatives
    • In June 2021, Finance Minister Ms Nirmala Sitharaman announced an additional outlay of Rs. 197,000 crore (the US $26,578.3 million) that will be utilised over five years for the pharmaceutical PLI scheme in 13 key sectors such as active pharmaceutical ingredients, drug intermediaries and key starting materials.
    • The Department of Pharmaceuticals initiated a PLI scheme to promote domestic manufacturing by setting up greenfield plants with minimum domestic value addition in four separate ‘Target Segments’ with a cumulative outlay of Rs. 6,940 crore (US$ 951.27 million) from FY21 to FY30 to achieve self-reliance and minimise import dependency in the country’s essential bulk drugs,

Source:TH

 
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