The Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation, Amit Shah, attended the PharmaInnova Awards Ceremony-2026 in Ahmedabad as chief guest, where he outlined the government’s vision for India’s pharmaceutical and healthcare sectors. His remarks reflected the broader policy direction towards making India self-sufficient in medicines and medical devices while reducing dependence on imports.
What the government is pushing
The Modi Government is positioning India’s pharmaceutical sector as a strategic national asset. Through the Productionlinked Incentive (PLI) scheme and two major park initiatives—the Bulk Drug Park and Medical Device Park schemes—the government aims to build world-class manufacturing capacity. So far, investments of Rs 42,700 crore have been deployed under these initiatives, and India has exported medicines worth more than Rs 3.64 lakh crore.
The government has also introduced the Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme for Research and Innovation in the Pharma and Medtech Sector (PRIP scheme), a multi-thousand-crore initiative designed to support pharmaceutical companies in developing new medicines and medical devices.
In healthcare delivery, the Ayushman Bharat scheme covers 70 crore people, with government meeting treatment costs up to Rs 5 lakh for those from poorer sections. Rural health infrastructure received Rs 1.60 lakh crore in investment. The government’s sanitation efforts have expanded toilet access to 13 crore households, up from 1.8 crore in 2014, while 16 crore households now have tap water access.
The government plans for India to manufacture all medical devices domestically—from bandages to MRI machines—by 2028, ending reliance on foreign producers.
What this means for you
If you work in the pharmaceutical or medical device sectors, new incentives and infrastructure are being created to support research and manufacturing in India. If you are a student or researcher, the government is promoting research through multiple schemes and funding. As a patient or ordinary citizen, the aim is to ensure affordable medicines and medical devices are available locally, reducing costs and import dependency over time.