Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers notifies the scheme for Promotion of Medical Devices Parks.

The Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers on 5^th August 2022, in its written reply to Lok Sabha has notified about the scheme for Promotion of Medical Devices Parks. The tenure of the scheme is from FY 2020-2021 to FY 2024-2025 and the selected Medical Device Park project will be implemented by a State Implementing Agency (SIA).  Under the scheme, Department of Pharmaceuticals has received proposals from 16 States/Union Territories.  The proposals were evaluated as per the criteria given in the scheme guidelines and final approval for financial assistance of Rs. 100 crore each has been given to the States of Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh.

The Government of India has taken several measures to encourage domestic manufacturing of Pharmaceutical drugs including bulk drugs and medical devices to reduce import dependence. The Programmatic interventions to support Pharma and Medical Devices Industries are as follows;

1. The Production Linked Incentive Scheme for Pharmaceuticals, with a financial outlay Rs. 15,000 crores and the tenure from FY 2020- 2021 to FY 2028-29, provides for financial incentive to 55 selected applicants for manufacturing of identified products under three categories for a period of six years, including five (5) industry applicants selected for In-vitro diagnostic medical devices.
2. The Scheme for Promotion of Bulk Drug Parks, with a financial outlay of Rs. 3,000 crores and the tenure from FY 2020-2021 to FY 2024-25, provides for financial assistance to three States for establishing Bulk Drug Parks. The proposals received are under evaluation.
3. The Department has launched the scheme of Strengthening of Pharmaceutical Industry (SPI), with a financial outlay of Rs. 500 crores and the tenure from FY 2021-2022 to FY 2025-26 and this scheme has three components, to provide infrastructure support for pharma MSMEs in clusters and to address the issues of technology upgradation of individual pharma MSMEs.
4. Under the scheme “Promotion of Medical Devices Parks”, final approval for financial assistance of Rs. 100 crore each, has been given to the States of Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh for establishment of common facilities in their Medical Device Parks.

The non-schematic interventions are as follows:

1. In order to attract investments in this sector, the Government has allowed 100% foreign direct investments (FDI) in medical devices sector. Similarly, the Government has allowed 100% FDI in pharma sector for greenfield projects under automatic route. For the brownfield projects, upto 74%, FDI investments are allowed under automatic route and beyond 74% to 100%, FDI investments are allowed under government approval route.
2. To redress the specific challenges of the MedTech Industry, in view of the diversity and multi-disciplinary nature of the sector, the institutional mechanism of Standing Forum of Medical Devices Associations, has been set up to deliberate on various issues with all the stakeholders including regulators.