- Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) and Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Bureau of India (PMBI) exchanged an MoU for providing credit of working capital to existing and proposed Jan Aushadhi Kendras (JAKs).
- Program proposes to use GST-Sahay platform and Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) while providing unsecure working capital loan for small businesses.
- It also adds a ‘credit layer’ in DPI, apart from identity and payment layer.
- There are around 11,000 JAKs operating in India, which the government aims to expand to 25,000 in next 2 years.
- JAKs are outlets under the Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP) which provide generic medicines at affordable prices.
- JAKs are run by private entrepreneurs and with the government support (financial assistance), provide around 2000 types of medicines and 300 types of surgical devices.
- PMBJP is a campaign launched by Department of Pharmaceuticals in 2008 with an objective of making quality generic medicines available at affordable prices to all.
- It is implemented by PMBI, a society registered under the Department of Pharmaceuticals.
- Under it, medicines are procured only from WHO-Good Manufacturing Practices (WHO-GMP) certified suppliers for ensuring quality.
Significance of JAKs:
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