The National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (Amendment) Bill, 2021

March 16, 2021

The National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (Amendment) Bill, 2021 was introduced in the Lok Sabha on March 15, 2021. It seeks to amend the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research Act, 1998.  

The 1998 Act established the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Punjab and declared it as an Institution of National Importance. 

The Bill seeks to provide the national importance tag to six pharmaceutical education and research institutes in the country — in Ahmedabad, Guwahati, Hajipur, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Raebareli.

The National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research Act, 1998 (13 of 1998) was enacted to declare the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research at Mohali, Punjab to be an institute of national importance and to provide for its incorporation and matters connected therewith.

The Act was subsequently amended in 2007 to empower the central government to establish similar institutes in different parts of the country. Thereafter, six new institutes in Ahmedabad, Guwahati, Hajipur, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Raebareli were established during 2007-08.

The Bill provides for a Council to coordinate the activities among the institutes under the Bill to ensure development of pharmaceutical education and research and maintenance of standards.  

The Act constituted a Board of Governors for control and management of the institute’s affairs.  The Act specifies 23 members in the Board. The Bill reduces the number of members in the Board of Governors for each institute to 12. The Board will be chaired by an eminent academician or professional.  

“A need is felt to bring clarity that the six institutes so established as well as any other similar institute to be established under the said Act shall be institutes of national importance,” the statement of objects and reasons regarding the Bill said.

In order to coordinate the activities of all such institutes, to ensure coordinated development of pharmaceutical education and research and maintenance of standards, etc., there is a need to establish a central body, to be called the Council, it noted.

Also, there is a need to rationalise the Board of Governors of each such institute and to widen the scope and number of courses run by such institutes, it said.

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