Gandhinagar

Union minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers Ananth Kumar today said that the central government would set up the first ‘medical devices park’ in Gujarat.

Addressing a meeting after laying the foundation stone of the new campus of National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER Ahmedabad) in Palaj to be constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 500 crores, Mr. Kumar, in presence of his deputy Hansraj Ahir and Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel said the union government would set up a Medical Devices Park in Gujarat. ‘It would be first such park in the country and would be of world class’, he said.

The minister claimed that a pharma park would also be established in Gujarat, the leading state in pharmaceutical sector. He said that the expansion of the central institute of plastic industries would also be done once the state government makes land available for the purpose near Sanand.
Mr. Kumar also said that coming up of the new campus of the NIPER-Ahmedabad, will not only serve as Center of Innovation with novel ideas both in the areas of drug research and discovery, but also cater to the needs of various MSEs and MSMEs, in and around Gujarat.

He said that India’s is poised to become the largest exporter of drugs, currently with Rs two lakh crores pharmaceutical industry turnover and over 3000 formulation. One out of every three tablets in the world is made in India and one out of six is produced in Gujarat. The growing pharma industry needed indigenous research and research need skilled manpower where institute like NIPER can play a crucial role.

Chief Minister Mrs Patel on the occasion said that for the past two decades Gujarat was contributing 40 % of the total national production in Pharma sector and 22 % of the total export. The state also manufactures 11 percent of the WHO pre qualified drugs in India which contributes to 67% of the total such drugs. She said that NIPER-Ahmedabad was one of the landmark Institutes aimed at giving further fillip to the Pharmaceutical Industry in Gujarat.
the same in future.

Minister of State for Chemicals & Fertilizers, Mr. Hansraj Gangaram Ahir, in his speech said that India has taken number of steps to further encourage investment in the sector.

Government of Gujarat has allocated 60 acres of land for setting up of the new NIPER campus.

Dr. Kiran Kalia, Director, NIPER-Ahmedabad in her speech said, ‘ our industry will expand and require more skilled professional pharmacists which can be groomed to excellence by NIPER. It is expected to be function by 2017.

Mr. Nitini Patel, Minister of Health, Medical Education, Family Welfare of Gujarat government, Mr. Bhupendrasinh Chudasama, Minister of Higher and Technical Education, Mrs Vasuben Trivedi, Minister of State, Higher & Technical Education, and Mr.i Shankar Chaudhari, Minister of State, Health, Family Welfare, Dr. M. Ariz Ahamed, Joint Secretary, Department of Pharmaceuticals, union government, were also present on the occasion.

– DeshGujarat