PMBJP: 20,149 Jan Aushadhi Kendras operational; medicines up to 50–80% cheaper and quality ensured

What happened

The Department of Pharmaceuticals reports continued rollout and operationalisation of Jan Aushadhi Kendras (JAKs) under the Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP). As on 30.06.2026, the Government states that 20,149 JAKs are functional across India. The release also specifies Tamil Nadu’s count and highlights the scheme’s medicine basket breadth and announced price advantage versus branded medicines.

Product basket and price positioning under PMBJP

The Government states that PMBJP’s product basket covers 2,110 medicines and 315 surgicals, medical consumables and devices, covering major therapeutic groups such as cardiovascular, anti-cancer, anti-diabetic, anti-infectives, anti-allergic, gastro-intestinal medicines and nutraceuticals. The Government also claims that medicines available under the PMBJP product basket are priced about 50% to 80% cheaper than branded medicines.

Quality and testing safeguards reported for JAK supply

To address quality-of-medicines concerns, the Government reports a set of mechanisms for continuous inspection, testing and standardisation, including supply eligibility restrictions, pre-dispatch batch testing, and laboratory compliance. The Government states that: WHO-GMP certified plants are the supply eligibility criterion for medicine sourcing.100% pre-testing of all medicine batches is conducted at Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Bureau of India (PMBI) warehouses, with dispatch to JAKs only after successful quality testing.Testing at GLP-compliant laboratories is required, with accreditation by the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) and additional assessment by PMBI for Good Laboratory Practices (GLP) compliance.