Parliament Question: Pradhan Mantri Bharatiya Janaushadhi Kendras in Chhattisgarh

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF CHEMICALS AND FERTILIZERS DEPARTMENT OF PHARMACEUTICALS LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 3530 TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 13TH MARCH 2026 Pradhan Mantri Bharatiya Janaushadhi Kendras in Chhattisgarh 3530. Smt. Roopkumari Choudhary: Will the Minister of CHEMICALS AND FERTILIZERS be pleased to state: (a) the number of Pradhan Mantri Bharatiya Janaushadhi Kendras (PMBJKs) established in the rural, tribal and remote areas of Chhattisgarh, particularly in aspirational districts, to ensure the availability of essential medicines, diagnostic services and primary healthcare facilities and the geographical distribution of these centres; (b) the amount of financial allocation made by the Central Government for the expansion of Mobile Medical Units (MMUs) and telemedicine services in the said State and the number of rural and tribal beneficiaries covered under the said services; (c) the audit and inspection mechanisms put in place to ensure the quality of essential medicines, prevent the circulation of spurious and substandard drugs and monitor the supply chain in rural areas; and (d) the phased action plan of the Government to strengthen the rural healthcare delivery network in Chhattisgarh in the coming years? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF CHEMICALS AND FERTILIZERS (SMT. ANUPRIYA PATEL) (a): Under Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana scheme, a total of 18,646 Jan Aushadhi Kendras (JAKs) are opened across the country till 28.02.2026, of which 352 Kendras have been opened in the State of Chhattisgarh including 73 in aspirational districts of said State. (b): As per information furnished by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, details of the State Programme Implementation Plan (SPIP) approvals on Mobile Medical Units (MMUs) and Teleconsultation facilities for last three financial years for the State of Chhattisgarh are as under :- Amount in ₹ lakh F.Y. SPIP approval on Mobile Medical SPIP approval on Units (MMUs) Teleconsultation facilities 2022-23 558.00 409.50 2023-24 558.00 409.50 2024-25 2947.78 409.50 Note: - The above data is as per Financial Management Record (FMR) submitted by States/UTs and is provisionalMobile Medical Units (MMUs) are supported under National Health Mission (NHM) to provide outreach services in remote villages with difficult terrain which are underserved and inaccessible. As per NHM-MIS report, 30 MMUs have been deployed in Chhattisgarh as on 30.09.2025. The teleconsultation services, available at all operational Ayushman Arogya Mandir (AAM) across the country including tribal regions of Chhattisgarh, enables people to access the specialist services closer to their homes addressing concerns of physical accessibility, shortage of service providers and to facilitate continuum of care. As reported by State on AAM portal, 44.05 lakh teleconsultations have been conducted in Chhattisgarh as on 31.01.2026. As informed by Directorate of Health Services, Government of Chhattisgarh, a total of 11,93,488 of rural and tribal beneficiaries covered under Rural Mobile Medical Unit (RMMU) (OPD) during FY 2024-25 & 2025-26 (till January, 2026). (c): As per the information provided by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the manufacture, sale and distribution of drugs are primarily regulated in the country under the provisions of Drugs & Cosmetics Act & Rules 1945 made thereunder through a system of licensing and inspection by State Licensing Authorities appointed by respective State Governments. Licensee is required to comply with all the condition of license as prescribed under Drugs & Cosmetics Rules, 1945. Drugs manufactured in the country, irrespective of branded or generic or for domestic or international market, are required to comply with the same standards as prescribed in the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 and Rules, 1945 made thereunder for their quality. Further, The Inspectors appointed by the State and Central government under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 have powers to carry out inspection at the licensed premises and draw the sample of drugs from supply chain and their quality be checked. In case, drug sample fails in quality checks and found to be Not of standard quality/Spurious/Adulterated, the concerned Drugs Control Authority takes action under the provisions of Drugs and Cosmetics Act and rules thereunder. Also, Controller Food and Drug Administration, Government of Chhattisgarh has also informed that the regular inspection and sampling is done by the Drug Inspectors within their respective jurisdictions to ensure the quality of essential medicines, prevent the circulation of spurious and substandard drugs in the market. With a view to ensure quality of medicines available at JAKs so that health of patients is not compromised, concrete mechanisms have been put in place to ensure continuous inspection, testing and standardisation, including the following: (i) Supply only from WHO Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) certified plants: Only plants that are certified as WHO-GMP compliant by the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) after direct inspection are eligible for supply. (ii) Distribution only after 100% pre-testing of all medicine batches: Samples are drawn from 100% of batches supplied at PMBI’s warehouses for testing anonymously, and medicines are dispatched for supply to JAKs only after the quality test is passed. (iii) Testing only at labs compliant with Good Laboratory Practices (GLP): Samples are tested only at labs accredited and periodically inspected by the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) and, in addition, assessed by PMBI for GLP compliance.(d): Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has informed that the National Health Mission (NHM) provides support for improvement in health infrastructure, availability of adequate human resources in health facilities, to improve availability, affordability and accessibility to quality health care for all including poor and vulnerable sections in urban, rural, and tribal/hilly areas including Chhattisgarh. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare provides technical and financial support to the States/UTs to strengthen the public healthcare system in rural areas based on the proposals received in the form of Programme Implementation Plans (PIPs) under National Health Mission. Government of India provides approval for the proposal in the form of Record of Proceedings (RoPs) as per norms & available resources. Various initiatives carried out under NHM by the Government of India in the country are operationalisation of Ayushman Arogya Mandir (AAM), Free Drugs Service Initiative, Free Diagnostic Service Initiative, National Ambulance Services, Mobile Medical Units, ASHAs, 24 x 7 Services and First Referral Facilities, Prime Minister's National Dialysis Programme, various activities under Reproductive & Child Health, Anaemia Mukt Bharat (AMB) strategy, TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan and Universal Immunization programme. The Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM) with an outlay of Rs.64,180 crore aims to support for infrastructure development for Sub- Health Centres, Urban Health and Wellness Centres, Support for Block Public Health Units, Integrated District Public Health Laboratories and Critical Care Hospital Blocks. The XV-Finance Commission has recommended grants aggregating to Rs.70,051 crore over the period of five years (2021-2026) through Local Governments to strengthen the healthcare system in states. *****