Janaushadhi scheme aims to reduce cost of medicine for poor: Kishan

Hyderabad: Union Minister G Kishan Reddy on Tuesday said the objective of the Pradhan Mantri Bharatiya Janaushadhi Scheme was to reduce the cost of medicine for the common man. The minister participated in the Janaushadhi Divas programme organised at NIMS, Somajiguda. He presented awards to those who achieved highest sales in the State. Reddy said every year March 7 is celebrated as Jana Aushadhi Diwas. The Centre has started Pradhan Mantri Bharatiya Janaushadhi Scheme to make quality generic medicines available at low cost. Its aim is to provide quality medicines at low cost to the poor.

In 2017 there were 3,000 Janausadhikendras and by March 2020 the number increased to 6,000. Reddy said by February 28, 2023, there were 9,177 Janaushadhikendras in the country. The Centre is moving ahead with the slogan of 'SevaBhi, Rozgar Bhi'. The government increased the incentive given to the managers of these centres from Rs 2.5 lakh to Rs 5 lakh.

The minister said 1,759 medicines and 280 surgical devices were available through these centres for diseases like heart, cancer, diabetes, infections, allergies and gastro. In 2019, Prime Minister Narendra Modi started a programme of providing sanitary napkins for Re 1 to increase the self-esteem of women.

In the last eight years, there has been a significant change in the sale of medicines through Janaushadhikendras. In 2014-15, sales of Rs 7.29 crore were done with 80 shops; by 2022-23, through 9,177 kendras, around Rs 1,100 crore medicines were sold. In the eight years, the number of shops increased a hundred times; the sales rose to more than a hundred times.

The minister said people have saved about Rs 20,000 crore by purchasing medicines from Janaushadhikendras. This is proof of the Central government's determination to provide quality medicines at low cost to the poor. "Through a mobile app called Janaushadhi Sugam we can know where these centres are near us and the prices of medicines," he said.