NEW DELHI: The government is looking to increase the number of Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Kendras (PMBJK) to 10,500 in the country by March 2025, the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers said on Thursday.
As on September 15, 2020, the number of Janaushadhi Kendras in the country stood at 6,606, the ministry said in a statement.
"With a vision to provide quality medicines at affordable rates for the common man especially the poor, the government has set a target to increase the number of PMBJKs to 10,500 by the end of March 2025," Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers D V Sadananda Gowda said. With this all the districts in the country will have Janaushadhi Kendras. This will ensure easy reach of affordable medicine to the people in every nook and corner of the country, the statement said.
With the expansion of the kendras, establishment of an effective IT-enabled logistics and supply-chain system for ensuring real-time distribution of medicines at all outlets is also being chalked out, it added.
At present, four warehouses of the PMBJKs are functional at Gurugram, Chennai, Bengaluru and Guwahati, the statement said. The government also plans to open two more warehouses in the country, it added.