Ramesh Shankar, PharmaBiz; Mumbai; Monday, October 04, 2010;
The SME Pharma Industries Confederation (SPIC), an association of around 5000 small pharma manufacturers across the country, has asked the Department of Pharmaceuticals (DoP) to inquire into the circumstances under which the NIPER has made it a precondition that only SMEs registered with NIPER after payment of Rs.1000 shall be entitled to the discounts in the user charges.
In a letter written to DoP secretary Mukul Joshi, SPIC secretary general Jagdeep Singh said that by stipulating a payment of Rs.1000 for registering with the NIPER, the premier pharma institution has violated the earlier Government Orders and is working against SME interests. In the government letter (No.52/116/2008) of NIPER dated 27.10.2008, the user charges for NIPER facilities was stipulated at 50 per cent for SMEs. And no precondition of payment of Rs.1000 was included in the letter.
But recently, NIPER had made it a precondition that only SMEs registered with NIPER after payment of Rs1000 shall be entitled to this 50 per cent discount. This has annoyed the SMEs, especially because the work already being done by NIPER for SMEs like making CDs for Schedule M and HPLC training was also stopped.
Jagdeep Singh in his letter to the DoP secretary said that through Right to Information (RTI), it has come to light that the Consultative Committee of the Small and Medium Pharmaceutical Industry Centre (SMPIC) at NIPER is responsible for this decision.
As per the RTI details, the proceedings of the Consultative Committee meeting held on 26.3.2010 reads: "The Chairman had proposed an annual SMPIC membership fees of Rs.1000 per annum and all members have agreed to fix the same. The membership of SMPIC will provide consolidating requirements of the SME Pharma sector with NIPER faculty. All members of SMPIC will be entitled to 50 per cent discount on all project and services from NIPER as per directive of Government of India. SMPIC will ensure that only genuine SME Pharma units take the advantage of this public private partnership and director NIPER would provide necessary assistance."
Singh said that how payment of Rs.1000 ascertains the genuineness of an SME is not understood as the form for membership has nothing which would scrutinize it.
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