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 The All India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists (AIOCD), representing over 12.40 lakh members across the country, has launched a fierce opposition against a central proposal to grant restricted drug licenses to Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS).
The protest follows a Ministry of Cooperation initiative aimed at allowing these grassroots cooperative societies to operate Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Kendras (PMBJKs) without pharmacist. In a strongly worded letter, AIOCD president J S Shinde and general secretary Rajiv Singhal emphasized that medicines are life-saving commodities that cannot be treated at par with agricultural chemicals.
The controversy reached a flashpoint following a circular issued by the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) on February 23, 2026. Acting on earlier directives from the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Cooperation, the DCGI formally requested state licensing authorities to examine the proposal of granting restricted licenses in Forms 20A and 21A to PACS. The government argues that a lack of registered pharmacists in rural and tribal regions is hindering the expansion of affordable medicine centers, thus necessitating a relaxation of standard licensing norms.
This regulatory move stems from a December 2025 proposal by the Ministry of Cooperation, which was later supported by an office memorandum from the ministry of health on February 2, 2026. By invoking Rules 62A and 62B of the Drugs Rules 1945, the DCGI’s latest circular effectively creates a pathway for PACS to dispense certain medicines without the mandatory supervision of a registered pharmacist. The AIOCD has labelled this use of enabling provisions as a dangerous dilution of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940.
The national pharma trade body has raised serious concerns regarding the storage of life-saving drugs alongside poisonous substances. They pointed out that PACS primarily handle fertilizers, pesticides, and agro-chemicals, posing a severe risk of cross-contamination. According to the organization, storing medicines in such environments violates Good Storage Practices (GSP) and directly threatens patient safety, as pharmacological integrity could be compromised by chemical exposure.
Besides, the chemists' body challenged the government’s claim regarding the scarcity of professionals. The AIOCD asserted that India currently possesses a vast network of licensed pharmacies and an adequate number of registered pharmacists even in remote areas. They argued that the original intent of restricted licenses, designed for exceptional circumstances where no shops were available, is no longer justified given the current saturation of qualified personnel across the country.
The organization warned that dispensing medicines through non-pharmacists would lead to a parallel unregulated drug distribution system. They noted that such a move could exacerbate the national challenge of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) due to the potential for indiscriminate sale of antibiotics by untrained staff. Additionally, the lack of professional supervision is expected to increase medication errors and the risk of misusing habit-forming drugs.
In its formal representation to the ministry of health, the AIOCD demanded the immediate withdrawal of the DCGI circular and the underlying proposal. The body insisted that no general advisory should be issued to states for licensing PACS under the contested rules. They maintained that PM Jan Aushadhi Kendras must only operate from licensed pharmacy premises under the strict supervision of registered pharmacists to safeguard the spirit and objectives of national drug regulations.
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