Free Generic Drugs

Free Generic Drugs


Public Health being a state subject, it is for the States/UTs to draw up such action plans as per their need. Under the National Health Mission (NHM), financial support is provided to the States/UTs for strengthening their healthcare delivery system including support for provision of free drugs to those who access public health facilities based on the requirement posed by the States/UTs in their Programme Implementation Plans. An incentive of up to 5% additional funding (over and above the normal allocation of the state) under the NHM is provided to those states that introduce free medicines scheme.  Under the NHM-Free drug service Initiative substantial funding is available to States for provision of free drugs subject to States/UTs meeting certain specified conditions. The number of free drugs provided by the States varies from State to State and most States have their own list of essential medicines.


    The steps taken by the Government to check Spurious/Sub-Standard Drugs in the country include:

(i)      amending the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 by the Drugs & Cosmetics (Amendment) Act, 2008 to provide for more stringent penalties for manufacture and trade of spurious and adulterated drugs.

(ii)    making provisions in the Drugs & Cosmetics (Amendment) Act, 2008 for setting up of Special designated courts for speedy disposal of cases to deal with the cases of offences under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act.

(iii)   issuance of  guidelines for taking action on samples of drugs declared spurious or not of standard quality in the light of enhanced penalties under the Drugs & Cosmetics (Amendment) Act, 2008 on the Website of CDSCO for purpose of uniform implementation of Drugs and Cosmetics Act in the Country.

(iv)  initiation of Whistle Blower Scheme to encourage vigilant Public  Participation in the direction of Movement of spurious drugs in the country.

(v)    providing assistance for upgrading of testing facilities and establishing new drug testing laboratories under the Capacity Building project through Wold Bank, so as to enhance the capacity of the laboratories to test large number of samples.

(vi)  overseeing inspection of drug manufacturing sites to ensure quality of imported bulk drugs.

(vii)       amendment of Schedule M to the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945, pertaining to Good Manufacturing Practices in 2001 to make it at par with the international standards. It is mandatory for the manufacturers of drugs to comply with requirements of this schedule for quality control of the drugs manufactured by them.

(viii)      introduction of Good laboratory Practices.

 The Health Minister, Shri J P Nadda stated this in a written reply in the Lok Sabha here today.

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Programmes/Schemes Launched by the Government to Promote Family Planning in the Country

The following programmes/schemes have been launched by the Government to promote family planning in the country:

1. Scheme for Home delivery of contraceptives by ASHAs wherein ASHAs are delivering contraceptives from door to door in the community.

2. Scheme for ASHAs to ensure spacing in births wherein ASHAs are being utilized for counseling newly married couples to ensure delay of 2 years in birth of first child after marriage and couples with 1 child to have spacing of 3 years after the birth of 1st child. The scheme is being implemented in 18 states of the country (8 EAG, 8 NE, Gujarat and Haryana).

3. Compensation scheme for sterilization acceptors under which MoHFW provides compensation for loss of wages to the beneficiary and also to the service provider (& team) for conducting sterilisations. Compensation for sterilization acceptors has been enhanced further recently for 11 high focus states, with high TFR.

4. Compensation scheme for PPIUCD under which the service provider as well as the ASHA who escorts the clients to the health facility for facilitating the IUCD insertion are compensated.

5. Scheme for provision of Pregnancy Testing Kits at sub centres as well as in the drug basket of the ASHAs for use in the communities for early detection of pregnancies.

6. National Family Planning Indemnity Scheme (NFPIS) under which clients are insured in the eventualities of deaths, complications and failures following sterilization and the providers/ accredited institutions are indemnified against litigations in those eventualities.

7. World Population Day: It is being observed all over India since 2009 and the event is conducted over a month long period, split into two fortnights:

i. June 27 to July 10: “Dampati Sampark Pakhwada” or “Mobilization Fortnight”
ii. July 11 to July 24 “Jansankhya Sthirtha Pakhwada” or “Population Stabilization Fortnight”

8. Special emphasis on Postpartum Family Planning (PPFP) services- GoI has now improved the basket of choice for PPFP with an introduction of a new method i.e. PPIUCD. There is also continued emphasis on Post-partum sterilization.

9. Adoption of Fixed day Fixed Place Family Planning mode: Availability of Fixed Day Static Services at all facilities round the year.

10. Engaging mobile teams for improving the access to sterilization services in underserved, hard to reach, tribal and strife prone areas where there is huge demand but lack of providers.

11. Accreditation of more private/NGO facilities to increase the provider base for family planning services under PPP.

12. Increasing male participation and promotion of ‘Non Scalpel Vasectomy’’.

13. Appointment of RMNCH+A Counselors (Reproductive Maternal Newborn and Child Health) at the district hospitals and other high case load facilities to ensure counseling of the clients visiting the facilities.

14. Improving contraceptives supply management up to peripheral facilities.

15. Quality care in Family Planning services being ensured by establishing Quality Assurance Committees at state and district levels.

16. Conducting Onsite training through dedicated mobile training teams.

17. Augmenting demand generation activities in the form of development of new audio visual software, display of posters, billboards and other materials in the various facilities.

The Health Minister, Shri J P Nadda stated this in a written reply in the Lok Sabha here today.

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Steps Taken Under NRHM to Reduce Neonatal Mortality Rates in the Country

The following interventions have been taken under NRHM to reduce neonatal mortality rates in the country:

1)     Promotion of Institutional Delivery through Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY) and Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram (JSSK): Promoting Institutional delivery to ensure skilled birth attendance is key to reducing both maternal and neo-natal mortality. JSY incentivizes pregnant women to opt for institutional delivery and provides for cash assistance. JSSK entitles all pregnant women to absolutely free and zero expense delivery including caesarean section operation in Government health facilities and provides for free to and fro transport, food, drugs and diagnostics. Similar entitlements have also been put in place for sick neonates.

2)     Strengthening Facility based newborn care: Newborn care corners (NBCC) are being set up at all health facilities where deliveries take place to provide essential newborn care at birth to all new born babies; Special New Born Care Units (SNCUs) at District Hospitals and New Born Stabilization Units (NBSUs) at FRUs are being set up for the care of small and sick newborn. As on date 565 SNCUs, 1904 NBSUs and 14163 NBCCs are functional across the country.

3)     Home Based Newborn Care (HBNC):  Home based newborn care through ASHA has been initiated to improve new born care practices at the community level and for early detection and referral of sick new born babies.

4)     Ensuring single dose of Injection Vitamin K prophylaxis in all the births in all the public and private health facilities even at the sub centre by ANM.

5)     Provision of Support in the annual state plans for up scaling of Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) in all health facilities.

6)     Empowering frontline health service providers (ANMs) to give a pre referral dose of antenatal corticosteroid (Injection Dexamethasone) to pregnant women going into preterm labour and pre-referral dose of Injection Gentamicin and Syrup Amoxicillin to newborns for the management of sepsis in young infants.

7)     Capacity building of health care providers: Various trainings are being conducted under National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) to build and upgrade the skills of doctors, nurses and ANM for early diagnosis and case management of common ailments of children and care of newborn at time of birth.

8)     Management of Malnutrition: Emphasis is being laid on reduction of malnutrition which is an important underlying cause of child mortality. 891 Nutritional Rehabilitation Centres have been established for management of Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM).Exclusive breastfeeding for first six months and appropriate infant and young child feeding practices are being promoted in convergence with Ministry of Woman and Child Development.

9)     Village Health and Nutrition Days (VHNDs) are also being organized for imparting nutritional counselling to mothers and to improve child care practices.

The Health Minister, Shri J P Nadda stated this in a written reply in the Lok Sabha here today.


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Regulation of Medical X-Ray Centres

As informed by the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board, there are a large number of medical diagnostic X-ray facilities in the country which have not yet applied to AERB for obtaining the necessary registration.

The Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) has been facing difficulties in regulatory control of these on account of the large number of units spread across the country and the accelerated growth in their number. However the radiation hazards involved in such facilities are very low, to cause any unacceptable health risks. Such units do not emit any radiation unless they are energized and no emergency situations are envisaged at such facilities from the radiological safety stand point.

In regulation of these facilities, AERB’s approach emphasizes on ensuring safety built into the design of the equipment apart from operational safety. The regulatory control is exercised on the suppliers/manufacturers to ensure maintenance of quality assurance during manufacturing/ sale of such units to give satisfactory performance during use at the place of end users. This is in line with the approach followed across the world.

AERB has taken up the matter with the State Governments / Union Territories for formation of State level Directorates of Radiation Safety (DRS) under the Health & Family Welfare Department of the respective State Governments/Union Territories.

Currently DRS is functioning in four states Kerala, Mizoram, Chhattisgarh and Tripura. AERB has also signed MoUs for establishing DRS with eight more States (Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Odisha, and Arunachal Pradesh).

State Governments/UTs are not authorized to do so. However, AERB has taken steps for enhancing the regulatory coverage for diagnostic x-ray facilities and there has been an encouraging response. AERB issues warning letters / show cause notices to certain non-complying institutions.

The Health Minister, Shri J P Nadda stated this in a written reply in the Lok Sabha here today.

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Nutritional Level


As per the Report of Nutritional Intake in India, 2011-12 published under 68th round of National Sample Survey Office (NSSO), it is observed:

-        Among the bottom 5% of rural population ranked by Monthly per Capita Expenditure (MPCE), 57% of households had calorie intake below 2160 Kcal/consumer unit/day, which was only 2% for the top 5% wealth fractile of the  population.
-        Average protein intake per capita per day was seen to rise steadily with MPCE level in rural India from 43gm for the bottom 5% of population ranked by MPCE to 91gm for the top 5%, and in urban India from 44gm for the bottom 5% to about 87gm for the top 5%.

-        Per capita fat intake was about 100g in the top fractile class of the urban sector and about 27gm in the lowest fractile class. In the rural sector the intake of the top fractile class was 92gm while that of the bottom class was 21gm.


Average dietary energy intake per person per day was 2233 Kcal for rural India and 2206 Kcal for urban India. At the all-India level protein intake per person per day was 60.7gm in the rural sector and 60.3gm in the urban. Average fat intake for the country as a whole was about 46gm per person per day in the rural sector and 58gm in the urban sector.

State-wise distribution is given below:

State-wise distribution of nutrient intake as per 68th round of NSSO

 from the report “Nutritional Intake in India, 2011-12:

The Government has accorded high priority to the issue of malnutrition in the country and is implementing several schemes/programmes under different Ministries/Departments through State Governments/UT Administrations, the details being as follows:

•           Under multi-sectoral approach for accelerated action on the determinants of malnutrition in targeting nutrition in schemes/programmes of all the sectors. The schemes/programmes include the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), National Health Mission (NHM), Mid-Day Meal Scheme, Rajiv Gandhi Schemes for Empowerment of Adolescent Girls (RGSEAG) namely SABLA,  Indira Gandhi Matritva Sahyog Yojna (IGMSY) as direct targeted interventions. Besides, indirect Multi-sectoral interventions include Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS), National Horticulture Mission, National Food Security Mission, Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, National Rural Drinking Water Programme etc.  All these schemes address one or other aspect of Nutrition.

•           The specific interventions targeted towards the vulnerable groups include children below 6 years. The main schemes/programmes of Ministry of Women and Child Development  which have a bearing on the nutritional status includes the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) Scheme which provides a package of six services namely supplementary nutrition, pre-school non-formal education, nutrition & health education, immunization, health check-up and referral services.

•           Under National Health Mission of Ministry of Health & FW, the remedial steps taken are as follows:

-        Promotion of appropriate infant and young child feeding practices that include early initiation of breastfeeding, exclusive breastfeeding till 6 months of age and appropriate complementary feeding after 6 months of age.

-        Management of malnutrition and common neonatal and childhood illnesses at community and facility level by training service providers in IMNCI (Integrated Management of Neonatal and Childhood Illnesses) training.

-        Treatment of children with severe acute malnutrition at special units called the Nutrition Rehabilitation Centres (NRCs), set up at public health facilities. Presently 891 such centres are functional all over the country.

-        Specific program to prevent and combat micronutrient deficiencies of Vitamin A and Iron & Folic Acid (IFA) in under-five children, children of 5 to 10 years of age, and adolescents.  National Iron Plus Initiative has been launched with provision for supervised and intermittent IFA supplementation to under-five children.

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Advertisement of Tobacco Products

As per the Report of the Tobacco Control in India (2004), tobacco advertising, in direct or indirect form, boosts consumption. There are independent studies that have been conducted to determine the impact of advertising and promotion of tobacco products on the consumption of these products by Indians. Evidence suggests that exposure to promotional activities for tobacco leads to initiation and progression of tobacco use. Research also corroborates that exposure to tobacco advertisements and receptivity to tobacco marketing are significantly related to increased tobacco use among students. Further, tobacco use in Indian movies has been independently associated with ever tobacco use among adolescents in India. Brief of the key studies on impact of advertising and promotion on youth uptake is annexed.

Section 5 of the Cigarettes and other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act, 2003(COTPA, 2003), prohibits all direct and indirect advertisements of the tobacco products. The said prohibition also extends to any activity that promotes the use or consumption of cigarettes or any other tobacco products.

The advertisement of Pan Masala is regulated by section 30 of the Food Safety and Standards (Packaging and Labelling) Regulations, 2011, issued under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, which states that every package of Pan Masala and advertisement relating thereto, shall carry the warning, “Chewing of Pan Masala is injurious to health”.

Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restrictions on Sales) Regulations, 2011 dated 1st August 2011, issued under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 by the Food Safety & Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), lays down that tobacco and nicotine shall not be used as ingredients in any food products. Therefore, Gutkha is a prohibited product, under the Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restrictions on Sales) Regulations, 2011 dated 1st August 2011, issued under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, and hence its advertisement is also prohibited.

The Health Minister, Shri J P Nadda stated this in a written reply in the Lok Sabha here today.

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Sale of Tobacco Products Near Educational Institutions

As per independent studies conducted in India, 5,500 children and adolescents start using tobacco daily.

The enforcement of the Cigarette and other Tobacco Products Act (COPTA), 2003 lies with States.  The data on the number of people fined/challaned for COTPA violation (for the period from April, 2012 to December, 2014) as received from various states is given below:

Status of the number of people fined/challaned

(As per information provided by the states for the period April 2012-December 2014)

To improve monitoring of enforcement, the Ministry has approved phase-wise expansion of the National Tobacco Control Programme in the country and also taken following steps:

1)      Ministry has written to states to institutionalize COTPA enforcement by including it in the ‘monthly crime review meetings’ at district level and also making it a part of the “Social Policing’ agenda.
2)      Guidelines for Law Enforcers have been developed and disseminated to states.
3)      Toll free helpline has been set-up to report specific violations of the provisions under the anti-tobacco law.
4)      National and Regional level advocacy workshops are organized to sensitize law enforcers / stakeholders from different departments on their role in implementation of tobacco control laws and other measures for tobacco control.
5)      States have been provided funds to conduct regular training /sensitization programmes for Law Enforcers.
6)      The Ministry of Health & Family Welfare has developed Guidelines for Tobacco Free Educational Institutions. These guidelines have been adopted by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE).
7)      Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has issued a circular No 58 dated 20th November, 2009 to all affiliated schools to follow the guidelines relating to protection from exposure to Second Hand Smoke.
8)      Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has issued an advisory dated 30th May, 2014 to all affiliated schools against allowing students to participate in the events sponsored by any firm or a subsidiary of a firm which promotes the use of tobacco in any form. It has also advised that Schools/Students should not accept any prize or scholarship instituted by a tobacco promoting firm.
9)      Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has issued an advisory dated  07th January, 2015 to all affiliated schools to display boards in Hindi and English for ‘Tobacco free Educational Institution’.



The Health Minister, Shri J P Nadda stated this in a written reply in the Lok Sabha here today

-        Village Health and Nutrition Days and Mother and Child Protection Card are the joint initiative of the Ministries of Health & Family welfare and the Ministry of Woman and Child for addressing the nutrition concerns in children, pregnant women and lactating mothers.


The Health Minister, Shri J P Nadda stated this in a written reply in the Lok Sabha here today.

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