NEDW DELHI: Aiming to provide generic drugs at affordable prices, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley today said the government will open 3,000 Jan Aushadhi stores in 2016-17 across the country.
Presenting the Budget 2016-17, the minister said: "Making quality medicines at affordable prices has been a challenge. We will reinvigorate the supply of generic drugs. 3,000 stores under the Prime Minster's Jan Aushadhi Yojna will be opened during 2016-17."
The Jan Aushadhi scheme started in 2008 with the aim to make quality medicines available at affordable prices for all, particularly the poor and disadvantaged through specialised outlets called Jan Aushadhi stores.
The scheme seeks to popularise the use of unbranded generic medicines to bring down actual expenses on medicines for the common man and make health care affordable and safe.