Lok Sabha Question No. 3530 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-13
Subject: Pradhan Mantri Bharatiya Janaushadhi Kendras in Chhattisgarh
Ministry: CHEMICALS AND FERTILIZERS
Asked by: Smt. Roopkumari Choudhary

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

LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 3530 TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 13 TH  MARCH 2026

## Pradhan Mantri Bharatiya Janaushadhi Kendras in Chhattisgarh

## 3530. Smt. Roopkumari Choudhary:

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

- (a) the number of Pradhan Mantri Bharatiya Janaushadhi Kendras (PMBJKs) established in the rural, tribal and remote areas of Chhattisgarh, particularly in aspirational districts, to ensure the availability of essential medicines, diagnostic services and primary healthcare facilities and the geographical distribution of these centres;
- (b) the amount of financial allocation made by the Central Government for the expansion of Mobile Medical Units (MMUs) and telemedicine services in the said State and the number of rural and tribal beneficiaries covered under the said services;
- (c)  the  audit  and  inspection  mechanisms  put  in  place  to  ensure  the  quality  of  essential medicines, prevent the circulation of spurious and substandard drugs and monitor the supply chain in rural areas; and
- (d)  the  phased  action  plan  of  the  Government  to  strengthen  the  rural  healthcare  delivery network in Chhattisgarh in the coming years?

## ANSWER

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

## (SMT. ANUPRIYA PATEL)

- (a):  Under  Pradhan  Mantri  Bhartiya  Janaushadhi  Pariyojana  scheme,  a  total  of  18,646  Jan Aushadhi Kendras (JAKs) are opened across the country till 28.02.2026, of which 352 Kendras have been opened in the State of Chhattisgarh including 73 in aspirational districts of said State.
- (b):   As per information furnished by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, details of the State Programme Implementation Plan (SPIP) approvals on Mobile Medical Units (MMUs) and Teleconsultation facilities for last three financial years for the State of Chhattisgarh are as under :-

Amount in ₹ lakh

| F.Y.   | SPIP approval on Mobile Medical Units (MMUs)   | SPIP approval on Teleconsultation facilities   |
|--------|------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------|
|        | 409.50                                         | 2022-23 558.00                                 |
| 558.00 | 409.50                                         | 2023-24                                        |
|        | 2947.78 409.50                                 | 2024-25                                        |

Note: - The above data is as per Financial Management Record (FMR) submitted by States/UTs and is provisional

Mobile  Medical  Units  (MMUs)  are  supported  under  National  Health  Mission  (NHM)  to provide outreach services in remote villages with difficult terrain which are underserved and inaccessible. As per NHM-MIS report, 30 MMUs have been deployed in Chhattisgarh as on 30.09.2025.

The teleconsultation services, available at all operational Ayushman Arogya Mandir (AAM) across the country including tribal regions of Chhattisgarh, enables people to access the  specialist  services  closer  to  their  homes  addressing  concerns  of  physical  accessibility, shortage of service providers and to facilitate continuum of care. As reported by State on AAM portal, 44.05 lakh teleconsultations have been conducted in Chhattisgarh as on 31.01.2026.

As informed by Directorate of Health Services, Government of Chhattisgarh, a total of  11,93,488  of  rural  and  tribal  beneficiaries  covered  under  Rural  Mobile  Medical  Unit (RMMU) (OPD) during FY 2024-25 & 2025-26 (till January, 2026).

(c):    As  per  the  information  provided  by  Ministry  of  Health  and  Family  Welfare,  the manufacture, sale and distribution of drugs are primarily regulated in the country under the provisions of Drugs & Cosmetics Act & Rules 1945 made thereunder through a system of licensing  and  inspection  by  State  Licensing  Authorities  appointed  by  respective  State Governments. Licensee is required to comply with all the condition of license as prescribed under Drugs & Cosmetics Rules, 1945. Drugs manufactured in the country, irrespective of branded or generic or for domestic or international market, are required to comply with the same standards as prescribed in the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 and Rules, 1945 made thereunder for their quality.

Further, The Inspectors appointed by the State and Central government under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 have powers to carry out inspection at the licensed premises and draw the sample of drugs from supply chain and their quality be checked. In case, drug sample fails in quality checks and found to be Not of standard quality/Spurious/Adulterated, the concerned Drugs Control Authority takes action under the provisions of Drugs and Cosmetics Act and rules thereunder.

Also, Controller Food and Drug Administration, Government of Chhattisgarh has also informed that the regular inspection and sampling is done by the Drug Inspectors within their respective jurisdictions to ensure the quality of essential medicines, prevent the circulation of spurious and substandard drugs in the market.

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.

(d):  Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has informed that the National Health Mission (NHM) provides support for improvement in health infrastructure, availability of adequate human resources in health facilities, to improve availability, affordability and accessibility to quality health care for all including poor and vulnerable sections in urban, rural, and tribal/hilly areas including Chhattisgarh. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare provides technical and financial support to the States/UTs to strengthen the public healthcare system in rural areas based on the proposals received in the form of Programme Implementation Plans (PIPs) under National Health Mission. Government of India provides approval for the proposal in the form of Record of Proceedings (RoPs) as per norms & available resources.

Various initiatives carried out under NHM by the Government of India in the country are operationalisation of Ayushman Arogya Mandir (AAM), Free Drugs Service Initiative, Free  Diagnostic  Service  Initiative,  National  Ambulance  Services,  Mobile  Medical  Units, ASHAs,  24  x  7  Services  and  First  Referral  Facilities,  Prime  Minister's  National  Dialysis Programme, various  activities  under  Reproductive  &  Child  Health,  Anaemia  Mukt  Bharat (AMB) strategy, TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan and Universal Immunization programme.

The Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM) with an outlay of Rs.64,180 crore aims to support for infrastructure development for SubHealth Centres, Urban Health and Wellness Centres, Support for Block Public Health Units, Integrated District Public Health Laboratories and Critical Care Hospital Blocks.

The XV-Finance Commission has recommended grants aggregating to Rs.70,051 crore over  the  period  of  five  years  (2021-2026)  through  Local  Governments  to  strengthen  the healthcare system in states.

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