PACS can now run several business, 241 of them operating Jan Aushadi Kendras: Amit Shah

New Delhi: Cooperation Minister Amit Shah on Monday said around 241 Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) have opened Jan Aushadi Kendras across the country that will ensure rural poor and farmers too avail the benefit of generic medicines at affordable rates.

So far, the government's Jan Aushadi Kendras were largely opened in cities benefiting the urban poor. Now this benefit is being extended to the rural poor, he said addressing an event here.

Shah, who also gave away the Jan Aushadi Kendra 'store code' certificates to five eligible PACS, said the PACS could expand their business activities to open Jan Aushadi Kendras due to changes made in their byelaws.

Pradhan Mantri Bharatiya Jan Aushadi Kendras (PMBJKs) provide quality generic medicines to general public, which cost 50-90 per cent less than the branded medicines available in the open market.

More than 2,000 types of generic medicines and around 300 surgical items are made available through these kendras to citizens at affordable prices.

"In the last six months, 4,470 applications from PACS were received. Out of these, in-principle approval has been given to 2,373 PACS. Around 241 of them have started operating Jan Aushadi Kendras," Shah said.

With these outlets being opened in rural areas, people there can now buy generic medicines at affordable rates. For instance, cancer medicines which cost about Rs 2,250 in the open market are sold at Rs 250. Even rural girls can buy sanitary napkin at Re 1 from these kendras, he said.

Shah further said irony was that despite being a top global supplier of medicines, India has about 60 crore poor people who could not afford it.

Since most of the kendras are urban-centric focusing on the urban poor, their reach is now being expanded through PACS which have been permitted to open such outlets in villages, he added.

He said about 40 field officers have been deputed to help PACS in running these kendras.

The cooperation minister said PACS were only confined to agri-credit business as their byelaws permitted them to do this only. But after formation of a separate cooperation ministry, the government took 56 initiatives to diversify their business activities and came out with a model byelaw.

The model byelaw was framed to prevent closing down of PACS.

"Why PACS were shutting down? The main reason was that in the byelaws of PACS there was no provision to do other business activities apart from agri-credit. So, we came out with a model byelaw including a provision to do 22 different activities," he said.

All PACS have adopted the model byelaw and even new PACS are getting registered under the same, he said.

PACS are now engaged in different businesses apart from being agri-credit agency. Some of them have opened Jan Aushadi Kendras, common service centres (CSCs), while some are operating as LPG and fertiliser distributor, petrol pump and ration shop operator and they soon will also be able to provide flight booking service, he added.

Asserting that there cannot be a cooperative movement without a strong foundation of PACS across the country, the minister said about 2 lakh PACS will be established in the next five years, at least one PAC at village level.