Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK President M K Stalin
Photo | ExpressCOIMBATORE: Around 37 applicants have been selected to start pharmacies under the Mudhalvar Marundhagam scheme in Coimbatore. The state government announced the launch of these pharmacies from Pongal 2025, and setting up these pharmacies is underway.
During his Independence Day speech, Chief Minister M K Stalin announced that 1,000 pharmacies under the Mudhalvar Marundhagam scheme will be opened in the first phase to make generic and other medicines available to the public at low cost. Following this announcement, the cooperative department received district wise applications to start the pharmacies.
In Coimbatore, many people have shown interest in getting into this scheme to become entrepreneurs. The Co-operative department, through which the scheme is being implemented, received 61 applications from across the district. Out of these, 22 applications were from the existing cooperative societies, and the remaining were from individuals. In this, the department selected 37 applications including 15 individual applications after scrutiny.
A state-level committee including the Tamil Nadu Drug Control Department and the Cooperative Department, will consider and grant permission to open pharmacies. The Tamil Nadu Medical Services Corporation (TNMSC) will produce and provide generic medicines required for CM pharmacies. Other alternative medicines and medical equipment would be procured and supplied through the Tamil Nadu Cooperative Consumer Federation (TNCCF).
A senior official from the cooperative department, said, “Those who completed D Pharm and B Pharm can apply for the scheme and anyone wishing to set up the pharmacy can obtain loans through cooperative banks. After applying online, they should get a drug license, retail license, FSSAI certificate, and other required documents to run the pharmacy. Selected applicants will be given a government grant of Rs 3 lakh. Of this, 50 per cent will be given as cash for infrastructure facilities development and 50 per cent will be given in the form of medicines for sale. A few more applications are in consideration.”