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A wave of intense opposition has been triggered among pharmacy association leaders and healthcare professionals across India following a proposal by the Union government to grant ‘restricted licenses’ to Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) to function without pharmacists.
The move aims to operationalize Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Kendras (PMBJK) in rural and tribal areas without the mandatory services of registered pharmacists. While the government cites a report of pharmacist scarcity in these regions, the pharmacy community has labelled the proposal a dangerous dilution of statutory safeguards that could jeopardize patient safety and the integrity of the national healthcare system.
According to KC Ajithkumar, former president of the Kerala State Pharmacy Council, the recent developments, which indicate pressure from the Union Ministry of Cooperation on the drug control department, are raising grave concerns within the healthcare community. He noted that a communication dated December 11, 2025, reportedly seeks permission to grant licenses to PACS-run stores without insisting on registered pharmacists. This move, Ajithkumar argues, is in direct conflict with the Drugs and Cosmetics Act of 1940 and Rule 65, which stipulates that retail drug sales must be conducted under personal supervision. He further warned that undermining the Pharmacy Act of 1948 could worsen irrational drug use and Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), which already affects 30 percent of patients.
The claim that there is a shortage of qualified professionals in rural areas has been flatly rejected by Kovai Kasiraman, a visiting faculty member and former pharma trade leader in Coimbatore. He described the government’s move as dangerous and asserted that the scarcity of pharmacists is a myth, pointing instead to the large number of qualified professionals currently seeking proper employment. Kasiraman questioned how the government could allow medicine providers to dispense drugs without qualified oversight, warning that such a step would severely devalue the pharmacy profession nationwide.
Taking a more militant stance, Simon Joshua, president of the Indian Pharm D Doctors’ Association (IPDA), has vowed to launch an indefinite strike before the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) office in New Delhi if these restricted licenses are issued. Having previously conducted hunger strikes before the Pharmacy Council of India and state secretariats for the rights of Pharm D students, Joshua emphasized that his association is prepared to take extreme measures to block the implementation of this proposal.
In Maharashtra, working pharmacist Rudra Ramya commented that the decision to run any pharmacy without professional oversight is absolutely unwise. She reminded the government that the very acts it approved were specifically designed to ensure that the monitoring of pharmacies remains in the hands of trained professionals to protect the general public.
The ethical and legal necessity of the profession was further highlighted by Jignesh Patel, secretary of the Gujarat state branch of the Indian Pharmaceutical Association (IPA). He remarked that medicine distribution in India is a healthcare service linked to professional responsibility rather than a mere commercial activity. Patel suggested that if the government truly believes there is a shortage of pharmacists in PACS areas, the solution should be proactive recruitment and better incentives rather than the total removal of safety standards.
The legality of the proposal was also brought into question by RVV Satheesh, a registered pharmacist in Doramamidi, Andhra Pradesh. He noted that under current laws, the absence of a pharmacist in a medical shop is considered a punishable offense. Satheesh raised the critical question of why the central government is attempting to open village-based Jan Aushadhi stores while bypassing the exact legal framework it strictly enforces upon private retailers.
Expressing the collective sentiment of public sector employees, G V Somasekhar, pharmacy officer at the district hospital in Tanuku, confirmed that his association strongly condemns the central government's move. He called on all pharmacy officers across the state to unite in opposition, characterizing the proposal as a blatant violation of the Pharmacy Act and an affront to the professional standards of the entire Indian healthcare sector.
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