Will the Minister of CHEMICALS AND FERTILIZERS be pleased to state:
(a) whether the Department of Pharmaceuticals has any scheme to monitor the prices of medicines;
(b) if so, the details thereof;
(c) the steps taken by the Government for consumer awareness on exorbitant prices of the medicines in the country;
(d) whether the Government has launched any awareness programme regarding Suvidha Sanitary Napkin; and
(e) if so, the details thereof?
(a) & (b): Yes, Sir. The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA), an independent body of experts under the Department of Pharmaceuticals (DoP), monitors the prices of Scheduled and Non scheduled drugs in the country as per provisions of the Drugs (Prices Control) Order, 2013 (DPCO, 2013). As per provisions of Para 16 of the DPCO, 2013, pharmaceutical companies may increase/decrease the prices of scheduled drugs on the basis of annual Wholesale Price Index (WPI) for preceding calendar year on 1st April every year. Further, as per provisions of Para 20 of the DPCO, 2013, manufacturers of Non scheduled formulations may increase the MRP of their formulations maximum up to 10 % of the maximum retail price during preceding twelve months. If a company violates the provisions of DPCO, 2013, action for overcharging is taken against it by NPPA.
(c): NPPA has launched a mobile app “Pharma Sahi Dam” and a consumer complaint platform “Pharma Jan Samadhan” to disseminate information on drug pricing and for handling consumer grievances. Consumer complaints are addressed through the Centralized Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS) portal, in a time bound manner. In order to create consumer awareness, there also exists a Central Sector Scheme named Consumer Awareness, Publicity and Price Monitoring (CAPPM). The Scheme is implemented at the Central level by NPPA and at the State level through Price Monitoring and Resource Units (PMRUs) set up by NPPA. CAPPM also creates Consumer awareness through print and electronic media, organizing seminars etc.
(d) & (e): Yes, Sir. The awareness about the salient features of Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP) including Janaushadhi Suvidha Oxo-Biodegradable Sanitary Napkin is being spread through various means, such as advertisements in Print Media, Radio, TV & Cinema and Outdoor publicity through Hoardings, Bus Queue Shelter branding, Bus branding, Auto wrapping, etc. In addition, Bureau of Pharma PSUs of India (BPPI), the implementing agency of Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP) also regularly educates the public about the usages of Jan Aushadhi generic medicines through various social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube, etc.
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