Prayagraj: Five Jan Aushadhi centres have been established in Mahakumbh Nagar to ensure the availability of affordable, quality medicines for pilgrims attending the Mahakumbh Mela 2025. One of the centres is located in Kalagram, under the Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP), a government initiative.

The government confirmed that these centres will remain operational throughout the duration of the Mela, providing pilgrims access to low-cost medicines.

On Saturday, Ravi Dadhich, CEO of the Pharmaceutical and Medical Devices Bureau of India (PMBI), visited Prayagraj to review the Jan Aushadhi Stall and other centres. He highlighted that purchasing medicines from Jan Aushadhi centres can save the public 50 to 90 percent on costs.

Dadhich engaged with visitors and centre operators to discuss the benefits and utility of the PMBJP. He noted that Uttar Pradesh currently has 2,633 Jan Aushadhi centres, with 62 of them located in Prayagraj alone.

Nationally, more than 15,000 centres are now operational, with a target of reaching 25,000 centres in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision. The government’s goal for sales through these centres in 2025 is Rs 2,000 crore, with over Rs 1,500 crore already achieved.

Dadhich explained the process for Mahakumbh pilgrims to locate the nearest Jan Aushadhi centre using a pin-code-based system and emphasized the importance of affordable medicines.

The PMBJP, implemented by PMBI, operates to provide quality medicines at affordable prices, saving citizens billions annually. In 2023-24, PMBI registered Rs 1,470 crore in sales, resulting in approximately Rs 7,350 crore in savings. Over the past 10 years, the initiative has saved about Rs 30,000 crore.

In a milestone for the initiative, the first overseas Jan Aushadhi Kendra was opened in Mauritius earlier this year. IANS