AMN /
Union Health Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya today, said that the number of Pradhan Mantri Jan Aushadhi Kendras has crossed 9,000 (Nine thousand) in the country.
In a tweet, the Minister said, these centers were started with the goal of providing cheap and good medicine to the people. He added that today, these centers are proving benefits to lakhs of people in every district of the country.
Jan Aushadhi Scheme’ was launched by the Department of Pharmaceuticals, Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers, in November 2008. To give further impetus to the scheme, it was again renamed as ‘Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana’ (PMBJP) in 2016.
This scheme was launched with an objective of making quality generic medicines available at affordable prices to all. Chemicals and Fertilizers Ministry said that more than nine thousand Kendras have been opened till date covering 743 districts across the country.
Government has said that Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana has helped citizens save around 18 thousand crore rupees on their medicine bills in last eight years. In the current financial year, the scheme has made sales of over 758 crore rupees, which has led to savings of approximately four thousand five hundred crore rupees to the citizens as compared to the branded medicines.
The government has set a target to increase the number of Janaushadhi Kendras to 10,00 by March 2024.