INDIA – The government has received a total of 239 applications under the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme for bulk drugs, with 49 of them approved so far.
In a written response to a question about the applications received and selected under the PLI scheme for bulk drugs, Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilizers Bhagwanth Khuba stated that 239 applications were received for 36 products across the four target segments.
“To date, the government has approved 49 of these applications,” he added. The minister went on to say that the 49 applications chosen came from 33 different companies.
Out of these 33 companies, 13 are Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) besides some newly incorporated entities.
”The scheme provides for minimum domestic value addition to be achieved by each approved applicant. Thus, these large number of projects approved under the scheme will also accelerate domestic procurement, which will further strengthen the ecosystem and marketplace for MSME sector,” he said.
Earlier in March, the Department of Pharmaceuticals (DoP) had extended the date of receipt of applications till March-end for the vacant slots under the PLI scheme for the promotion of domestic manufacturing of bulk drugs.
The DoP is implementing three PLI schemes — Bulk Drugs at US$913.4 million (Rs 6,940 crore), Medical Devices at US$450 million (Rs 3,420 crore) and Pharmaceuticals at approximately US$2 billion (Rs 15,000 crore) — to promote manufacturing activity.
Meanwhile, on March 29, the Central Government of India announced that 35 of the 53 drug raw materials for which India was previously dependent on imports are now manufactured in India.
“Under the production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme, 32 new plants for the production of APIs (Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients) have been set up and production has now started in 35 of the 53 identified APIs,” said Mansukh Mandaviya, Union health and chemical and fertilizers minister.
India is 90 percent dependent on 35 APIs, which were previously imported. However, India has now begun manufacturing these APIs under the PLI scheme, according to the minister.
“The government is providing viability gap funding under the scheme to reduce dependence on imports.”
China accounts for more than 65 percent of India’s API imports.
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