Question : Price Monitoring Cell

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

(a) whether the Government proposes to set up drugs price monitoring cell in Maharashtra and Bihar;
(b) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor;
(c) whether the Government has taken steps to strengthen the regulatory mechanism of the National Pharmaceuticals Pricing Authority (NPPA) and to ensure compliance of its orders on retail prices of medicines; and
(d) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?

MINISTER IN THE MINISTRY OF CHEMICALS AND FERTILIZERS
(SHRI D.V. SADANANADA GOWDA)

(a) & (b): The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) under the Department of Pharmaceuticals has set up Price Monitoring and Resource Unit (PMRUs) under the Consumer Awareness, Publicity and Price Monitoring (CAPPM) Scheme in seventeen (17) States, viz., Kerala, Gujarat, Odisha, Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Nagaland, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Mizoram, Jammu & Kashmir, Karnataka, Telangana, Maharashtra, Goa and Madhya Pradesh. Registration of PMRU in a State/UT is based on the initiative of the State concerned as the scheme is open to all the States/UTs, including Bihar.

(c) & (d): NPPA has taken various steps to strengthen the regulatory mechanism. The scheme of CAPPM envisages setting up of PMRUs in States/UTs for implementation and monitoring of the Drugs (Prices Control) Order (DPCO). A cloud based advanced Integrated Pharmaceuticals Database Management System ver. 2 (IPDMS 2.0) with the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) has been approved. This would ensure more efficient, transparent and time bound functioning through complete office automation.

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