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| Bio-Pharma conference may bring PPP projects to J&K | | | SANT KUMAR SHARMA
EARLY TIMES REPORT
JAMMU, May 22: A one-day conference on Bio-Pharmaceuticals is being organised on May 28 in the summer capital Srinagar. The Chief Minister, Mr Omar Abdullah, will be the chief guest at the conference which is likely to be attended by top industry captains.
In fact, the state government is the co-organiser of the conference and the event is being organised by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM).
The event is being organised on a lavish scale at The Lait Hotel, Grand Palace, on the banks of Dal. Pharmaceutical manufacturers, marketing companies, quality control equipment manufacturers, cosmetic care product manufacturers, companies dealing in health and fitness equipment as also other stakeholders will participate.
The state government is keen to make it a grand success as it believes that the ``drugs and pharmaceutical industry plays a vital role in the economic development''. Being one of the most advanced sectors in the world, it is an intense knowledge-driven industry.
India has vast potential for development of the Drugs and Pharmaceuticals Industry. Some special zones like Baddi in the neighbouring Himachal Pradesh have emerged as major pharmaceutical hub.
Of late, the state of Jammu & Kashmir is emerging as an important destination for establishment of the pharmaceutical business. This has happened largely because of the new industrial policy being piloted by the government and the incentives being offered.
According to the conference brochure, it aims to ``usher in a new era of Drugs and
Pharmaceutical industrialization in the State and achieve sustainable industrial development in all regions''.
To attract Pharmaceutical and other related ancilliary industrial base to the State, the government is offering incentives and schemes specific to Pharmaceutical and related sector.
During the day-long deliberations, the industry captains and officials will focus on discussions that will centre around mergers and acquisitions, setting up biotech and pharmaceutical parks, special economic zones (SEZs), delivery of cost-effective new drugs and increasing generic penetration of the prescription drug market.
In fact, the state government has been mulling the availability of generic drugs in the state for some time. However, the issue of opening generic drug shops in the government hospital premises on the pattern of the neighbouring Punjab has not been taken up in a big way.
A couple of years ago, the Central government had started an ambitious scheme of opening Jan Aushadhi stores in the country. The scheme was piloted by then Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan.
The first such store was opened with much fanfare in Amritsar in November 2008. Some more Jan Aushadhi stores were opened elsewhere. However, after Paswan's departure from the scene, the scheme has not made much progress.
One reason of the lethargy that has crept into the scheme is the non-participation of the private sector in the Jan Aushadhi stores. So far, only the medicines made by the public sector companies have been made available in these stores.
Some industry captains are keen to change that and participate in it on the PPP (public private partnership) model. Since the J&K government is cash-strapped and depends on the Centre to finance almost every scheme, the conference may offer a good opportunity to set up some projects on PPP model.
This will help generate employment and boost the economy. The conferenc will pave the way for a two-way dialogue between the government and the industry to discuss opportunities and challenges.
Since creation of additional health infrastructure covering all the three regions is a top priority of the government now, it is a good opportunity for the research and testing laboratories as also turnkey plant suppliers to present their cases and discuss the issues threadbare, an official said.
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