Government to Launch Scheme for Pharma MSMEs

The Department of Pharmaceuticals announced on Tuesday that on July 21 (Thursday), Mansukh Mandaviya, Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers and Health and Family Welfare, will introduce a number of initiatives under the Strengthening Pharmaceuticals Industry (SPI) programme that address issues with technology upgradation among MSMEs at the unit level and cluster level.

The department noted in a statement that the government will reward MSMEs for obtaining Schedule M certification or Good Manufacturing Practice (GMO) certification by the World Health Organization (WHO) through the sub-scheme Pharmaceuticals Industry Technology Upgradation Assistance Scheme in order to strengthen the supply chain of the pharmaceuticals industry, of which MSMEs are an essential part (PTUAS).

GMP certification is a standard established by the WHO to guarantee that goods are produced and managed in accordance with quality standards. MSMEs will have the option of upgrading their production facilities in accordance with Schedule-M or WHO-GMP standards using either a capital subsidy or an interest subsidy.

The SPI sub-scheme "Assistance to Pharmaceuticals Industry for Common Facilities" (APICF) would provide government funding up to 70% of the project cost and up to a maximum of Rs 20 crore to clusters to help establish common facilities like testing labs, common effluent treatment plants, etc. The government announced that a number of awareness campaigns, sectoral studies, and other initiatives will be organised under the third sub-scheme of the Pharmaceutical & Medical Devices Promotion and Development Scheme (PMPDS) to produce soft inputs for policy advocacy.