Lok Sabha Question No. 3509 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-13
Subject: Availability of Fertilizers and Medicines
Ministry: CHEMICALS AND FERTILIZERS
Asked by: Shri Kanwar Singh Tanwar

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

LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 3509 TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 13 TH  MARCH 2026

## Availability of Fertilizers and Medicines

## †3509. Shri Kanwar Singh Tanwar:

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

(a) whether the Government has made any assessment regarding the availability, accessibility and  affordability  of  fertilizers,  medicines  and  chemical-based  health  inputs  including  the efficiency of the supply chain and consumer awareness in Amroha district of Uttar Pradesh; (b) if so, the details of the fertilizer distribution, price monitoring, coverage of Jan Aushadhi Kendras (JAKs) medicine availability and regulatory monitoring in the said district during the last three years; and

(c) if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

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

## (SMT. ANUPRIYA PATEL)

(a) to (c):  As per information furnished by Department of Fertilizers, following steps are taken by the Government every season to ensure adequate and timely availability of fertilizers across the country:

- (i). Before the commencement of each cropping season, Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (DA&FW), in consultation with all the State Governments assesses the State-wise & month-wise requirement of fertilizers.
- (ii). On the basis of requirement projected by DA&FW, Department of Fertilizers allocates adequate  quantities  of  fertilizers  to  States  by  issuing  monthly  supply  plan  and continuously monitors the availability.
- (iii). The movement of all major subsidized fertilizers is monitored throughout the country by  an-line  web-based  monitoring  system  called  integrated  Fertilizers  Monitoring System (iFMS).
- (iv). The  State  Government  are  regularly  advised  to  coordinate  with  manufacturers  and importers for streamlining the supplies through timely placement of indents.
- (v). Regular Weekly Video Conference is conducted jointly by DA&FW and Department of  Fertilizers  with  State  Agriculture  Officials  and  corrective  actions  are  taken  to dispatch fertilizer as indicated by the State Governments.
- (vi). Distribution of fertilizers within the State at district level is done by the concerned State government.

Presently, prices of drugs are regulated as per the provisions of the Drugs (Prices Control) Order  2013  (DPCO,  2013).  As  per  extant  provisions  of  DPCO,  2013,  the  National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) controls prices of medicines by fixing ceiling prices of formulations specified in Schedule-I to DPCO, 2013 which is based on the National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM) published by Ministry of Health & Family Welfare.  NPPA also fixes the retail price of new drugs as defined under para 2(1)(u) of DPCO, 2013. The retail price of a new drug is applicable to the applicant manufacturer and marketer, who are required to sell the new drug within the price notified by NPPA.  In case of non-scheduled formulations, manufacturers  are  required  to  not  increase  the  maximum  retail  price  (MRP)  of  such formulations by more than 10% of MRP during preceding 12 months. Prices of both scheduled and  non-scheduled  formulations  are  monitored  as  an  ongoing  process  and  action  is  taken against companies found overcharging consumers or violating the provisions of the DPCO, 2013.

Further,  Consumer  Awareness  Publicity  &  Price  Monitoring  (CAPPM)  Scheme  is being implemented by NPPA (Department  of Pharmaceuticals) since the year 2018 under which Price Monitoring and Resource Units (PMRUs) are established in the States/ UTs which conduct  Information,  Education,  and  Communication  (IEC)  activities  for  dissemination  of information relating to price changes.

Moreover,  NPPA  monitors  availability  of  drugs  in  the  country  and  takes  remedial measures  whenever  issue  of  non-availability  of  any  medicine  is  brought  to  its  notice. Complaints regarding non-availability of a medicine in the market is received by NPPA through various sources including State Drugs Controllers (SDCs), Pharma Jan Samadhan Portal, NPPA Helpline and public grievance portals like PMOPG/CPGRAMS and Individuals. NPPA takes immediate measures in coordination with the State Authorities and the manufacturer of the drugs concerned to ensure availability of the said drug in the said region/ state. However, no complaints of shortages/non availability of medicines have been received from Amroha district of Uttar Pradesh

Further,  the  Pradhan  Mantri  Bhartiya  Janaushadhi  Pariyojana  was  launched  by  the Government of India to make quality generic medicines available at affordable prices for all citizens. Under this scheme, special outlets called Jan Aushadhi Kendras are opened across the country. These Kendras provide medicines that are about 50% to 80% cheaper than branded medicines, helping reduce healthcare expenses for patients.

The scheme offers a comprehensive product basket consisting of 2,110 medicines and 315 medical devices and consumables, covering all major therapeutic groups. These include medicines  for  cardiovascular  diseases,  cancer  treatment,  diabetes,  infections,  allergies,  and gastrointestinal disorders, along with nutraceutical products, ensuring affordable and accessible healthcare for the public.

Under the scheme, a total of 18,646 Jan Aushadhi Kendras (JAKs) have been opened across  the  country  as  on  28.02.2026,  of  which  3,944  JAKs  in  the  State  of  Uttar  Pradesh including 29 JAKs in Amroha district.

With a view to ensure quality of medicines available at JAKs so that health of patients is  not  compromised,  concrete  mechanisms  have  been  put  in  place  to  ensure  continuous inspection, testing and standardisation, including the following:

- (i). Supply only from WHO Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) certified plants: Only plants  that  are  certified  as  WHO-GMP  compliant  by  the  Central  Drugs  Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) after direct inspection are eligible for supply.
- (ii). Distribution only after 100% pre-testing of all medicine batches: Samples are drawn from 100% of batches supplied at PMBI's warehouses for testing anonymously, and medicines are dispatched for supply to JAKs only after the quality test is passed.
- (iii). Testing only at labs compliant with Good Laboratory Practices (GLP): Samples are tested only at labs accredited and periodically inspected by the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) and, in addition, assessed by PMBI for GLP compliance.

Number of steps have been taken to ensure effective and regular supply of medicines including critical and life saving medicines at Jan Aushadhi Kendras (JAKs), including the following:

- (i). Since September 2024, stocking by JAKs of 200 commonly used medicines, consisting of  the  100  top-selling  medicines  in  the  scheme  product  basket  and  100  fast-selling medicines in the market, has been incentivised, under which JAK owners are eligible for monthly incentive based on the stocks that they maintain of these medicines.
- (ii). An  end-to-end  information-technology-enabled  supply  chain  system  is  in  place  to connect  a  robust  supply  chain  system  consisting  of  5  warehouses  and  a  growing network of distributors across the country.
- (iii). In addition, with a view to ensure availability of commonly used products, 400 fastmoving  products  are  monitored  regularly  by  the  scheme  implementing  agency {Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Bureau of India (PMBI)} and demand for the same is forecasted on an ongoing basis. Further, steps have been taken to digitise the forecasting method to augment the procurement process.

To  promote  acceptability  of  medicines  supplied  through  JAKs,  targeted  awareness campaigns about the benefits of Janaushadhi medicines are conducted on a regular basis:

- (i). Awareness campaigns : Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Bureau of India (PMBI), which  is  the  implementing  agency  for  PMBJP  conducts  awareness  campaigns  in coordination with bodies and platforms such as the Central Bureau of Communication, PIB, MyGov and MY Bharat, in various modes such as print, television, radio, social media platforms, outdoor hoardings, community engagement, etc.
- (ii). Interactive messages/calls : Outreach and citizen engagement are also pursued through WhatsApp  chatbot  and  outbound  calls  to  inform  citizens  regarding  the  quality  of Janaushadhi products and the large savings that accrue from purchase of the same from nearest JAK.

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