New Delhi, Dec 3 (IANS) A total of Rs 4,763.34 crore worth investment has been made in the three and a half years under the scheme for Promotion of Bulk Drug Parks till September 2025, against an investment commitment of Rs 4,329.95 crore over the period of six years in greenfield projects, according to the government.

The PLI scheme for Bulk Drugs is aimed at avoiding disruption in supply of critical Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) used to make critical drugs for which there are no alternatives by reducing supply disruption risk due to excessive dependence on single source. The scheme has a budgetary outlay of Rs 6,940 crore.

“Further, production capacities have been created for 26 KSMs/DIs/APIs, which were earlier primarily imported. The scheme has resulted in cumulative sales of Rs 2,315.44 crore reported till September 2025, including exports of Rs 508.12 crore, thereby avoiding imports worth Rs 1,807.32 crore,” informed Union Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilizers, Anupriya Patel, in a written reply in Rajya Sabha.

The PLI Scheme for Pharmaceuticals is aimed at enhancing India’s manufacturing capabilities by increasing investment and production in the pharmaceuticals sector and contributing to product diversification to high-value goods in the pharmaceutical sector and incentivises production of high-value medicines such as biopharmaceuticals, complex generic drugs, patented drugs or drugs nearing patent expiry, auto-immune drugs, anti-cancer drugs, etc. as well as production of APIs/DIs/KSMs other than those notified under the PLI Scheme for Bulk Drugs.

It has a budgetary outlay of Rs 15,000 crore. As of September 2025, the committed investment of Rs 17,275 crore targeted over the six-year period of the scheme stands substantially exceeded with cumulative investment of Rs 40,890 crore made in three and a half years of scheme production period in both brownfield and greenfield projects.

Further, 726 APIs/KSMs/DIs are being manufactured under the scheme, including 191 which have been manufactured for the first time under the scheme.

Cumulative domestic sales of APIs/KSMs/DIs produced under the scheme till September 2025 is worth Rs 26,123 crore and thereby contributing to import avoidance. The tenure of the scheme is till the financial year 2028-29, according to the minister.

—IANS

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