Lok Sabha Question No. 890 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-02-07
Subject: Quality of Medicines in JAKs
Ministry: CHEMICALS AND FERTILIZERS
Asked by: Smt. Sanjna Jatav

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF CHEMICALS AND FERTILIZERS DEPARTMENT OF PHARMACEUTICALS

LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 890 TO BE ANSWERED ON 7 th  FEBRUARY, 2025

## Quality of Medicines in JAKs

†890. Smt. Sanjna Jatav:

Will the Minister of CHEMICALS AND FERTILIZERS be pleased to state:

(a) the number of Jan Aushadhi Kendras (JAKs) operational in Rajasthan;

(b) whether the Government has established any mechanism to assess the medicines supplied by Jan Aushadhi Kendras, if so, the details thereof;

(c) whether it is a fact that many of the medicines supplied through Jan Aushadhi Kendras are substandard and if so, the details thereof along with the corrective measures taken/being taken in this regard;

(d) whether it is a fact that many poor people of SC/ST and OBC are not aware of the facilities being provided in Jan Aushadhi Kendras; and (e) if so, the steps taken/being taken by the Government to launch awareness drive for the people in this regard?

## ANSWER

## THE  MINISTER  OF  STATE  IN  THE  MINISTRY  OF  CHEMICALS  AND FERTILIZERS

(SMT. ANUPRIYA PATEL)

(a): Under the Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana scheme, a total of 481 Jan Aushadhi Kendras have been opened in the State of Rajasthan.

(b): For smooth supply and product availability at Jan Aushadhi Kendras, an end-to-end ITenabled supply  chain  system  has  been  established.  It  comprises  one  central  warehouse  at Gurugram and four regional warehouses at Bengaluru, Guwahati, Chennai and Surat. Further, 36 distributors have been appointed across the country to strengthen the supply chain system.

Availability  of  400  fast-moving  products  is  monitored  regularly  to  ensure  their availability. Further, a minimum stocking mandate has been implemented for 200 medicines consisting of 100 top-selling medicines in the scheme product basket and 100 fast-selling medicines  in  the  market.  Under  the  stocking  mandate,  the  Jan  Aushadhi  Kendra  owners become  eligible  for  claiming  incentive  on  the  basis  of  stocks  of  the  said  200  medicines maintained by them.

(c): No, sir. Stringent measures as specified below are in place to ensure that the medicines supplied through Jan Aushadhi Kendras meet standards:

- (i) Medicines are procured only from suppliers certified for World Health Organization - Good Manufacturing Practices (WHO-GMP).
- (ii) Each batch of drugs supplied under the scheme is tested at laboratories accredited by the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) and only after passing quality tests, medicines are dispatched to Jan Aushadhi Kendras.
- (iii) Quality audit of the facilities of vendors is routinely done by the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Bureau of India.

(d) and (e): It is estimated that about 10 to 12 lakh consumers buy medicines daily from Jan Aushadhi Kendras, which indicates a high level of awareness among the public. To further spread  awareness  about  the  scheme,  the  Pharmaceuticals  and  Medical  Devices  Bureau  of India, the scheme implementing agency, on an ongoing basis, takes, among other things, the following measures:

- (i) Issuance of advertisements in various modes, such as the print media, radio, TV, cinema, hoardings, branding of bus queue shelters and buses, auto wrapping and TV screens at Common Service Centres;
- (ii) Outreach  through  social  media  platforms,  such  as  Facebook,  X,  Instagram  and YouTube; and
- (iii) Celebration of Jan Aushadhi Diwas on the 7 th of March every year.

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