HYDERABAD:The department of pharmaceuticals under the Union ministry of chemicals and fertilizers is planning to fill key vacant posts in government pharma institutes and provide more funds for research projects. Addressing mediapersons here on Friday, Dr VK Subburaj, secretary, department of pharmaceuticals, Union ministry of chemicals and fertilizers said that new directors would be appointed for top government pharma institutes in India like the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER).
Subburaj said the government would constitute search committees soon to recruit directors for seven NIPERs across the country. The process of recruiting new director for NIPER, Hyderabad, has already commenced and the appointment is expected to be finalised before its new campus is inaugurated.
NIPER in Hyderabad, which is currently being operated from a rental building at Balanagar would be shifted to a full-fledged new campus in Genome Valley near Shameerpet in another two years. Though the institute at Hyderabad was established in 2007, it is still being monitored by the CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT). Dr Ahmed Kamal, project director, NIPER-Hyderabad, said the institute will become autonomous after the appointment of new director.
Currently there are seven NIPERs across the country and another is coming up at Madurai in Tamil Nadu. In addition to this, the Union government has also sanctioned three more NIPERS. Every year around 600 students are graduating from these seven institutes.
Ariz Ahamed, joint secretary, department of pharmaceuticals, said the current strength of graduates is unable to meet the requirement of rapidly growing pharma industry in India. Hence the government is planning to launch a survey to find out the required manpower in pharma industry in coming 20 years. The global survey will help the government to improve the academic facilities in the field of pharma based on the industrial requirement.