NEW DELHI: India has started making 29 out of 43 ‘critical’ active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) that were earlier imported, senior officials in the

health ministry

said on Tuesday. An official said that this will reduce the country’s dependency on other countries, including China.
In 2021, the department of pharmaceuticals had launched a product-linked incentive (PLI) scheme for pharmaceutical goods and in-vitro diagnostic medical devices. Officials said the financial outlay under this scheme is Rs 15,000 crore over a period of six years. “The department of pharmaceuticals has released the first tranche of incentives amounting to Rs 166 crore to four selected applicants,” an official said.
“Working to reduce import dependency through indigenous production, the government is focusing on production of high-value pharmaceuticals and high-end medical devices. Manufacturing of components for high-end devices will be another step towards

Aatmanirbharta

,” said health minister

Mansukh Mandaviya

.