Govt mulling creating a separate ministry for pharma sector

Chemicals and Fertilisers Minister Ananth Kumar today said there should be a dedicated ministry for the pharmaceuticals sector to end policy fragmentation due to various departments come under different ministries.
"Unified policy mechanism is a big imperative. We are in a fragmented situation, the price regulation is with us, where as drug regulation is with Health Ministry and Research with Ministry of Science and Technology and import export with Ministry of Commerce and DIPP," he said.
Therefore, Kumar said he and his junior minister Hansraj Gangaram Ahir have made a suggestion to Prime Minister Narendra Modi that pharma sector needs to have a separate ministry.

When asked about the timeframe for the creation of a separate ministry, Kumar said: "We both are speaking to him (Modi) and he also understands the importance, fragmentation and difficulties. I can't put a timeline, but all I can say is that we are moving in the right direction".
The government has carved out two separate ministries -- Ayush as well as skill development and so there could be a separate ministry for pharma as well, Kumar said.
Stressing on the need for a separate ministry, he said Indian pharma industry is the third largest in the world and thus requires a unified policy mechanism.

Stating that the Indian pharma sector has been growing fast attaining a size of Rs 1.8 lakh crore thus becoming the third largest in the world.
"I think we need to finish this fragmentation -- policy fragmentation, regulatory fragmentation, administrative fragmentation and bring all these under one umbrella," Kumar added.
Commenting on the recommendation by a CII in a report on the pharma sector, Kumar said: "There are eleven suggestions... We will give this recommendations to our secretary as well as chairman of NPPA so that to examine the interventions that are required from the government. The suggestions are worth examining like single window clearance and introducing manufacturing clusters".