The Rishikesh unit of the Indian Drugs and Pharmaceuticals limited should be revived at the earliest. The Central Government should provide one-time assistance for the maintenance of the IDPl housing colony, non-residential buildings, plant, machinery and other assets here. Chief Minister Harish Rawat said this to the Union Chemicals and Fertilizers Minister Ananth Kumar while requesting him to facilitate necessary measures for reviving the Government of India undertaking’s Rishikesh unit.
Rawat said that IDPl is the largest Central pharma public sector undertaking with plants at Rishikesh, Gurgaon, Hyderabad and subsidiaries units at Chennai and Muzzaffarpur. It was established with an aim to manufacture and supply essential medicines, bulk and generic drugs to central and state governments as well as pharmacies at reasonable prices. But, the PSU was formally declared sick in the year 1992.
The various stakeholders including employees have been demanding a revival plan. The techno economic committee had recommended revival of IDPl by making use of assets like land at Gurgaon, Hyderabad and Chennai to raise funds which was vetted by consultants appointed by the government. It was stated that a Memorandum of Understanding has been signed between Department of Pharmaceuticals and IDPl to make it a viable drug manufacturing unit and that the government is in process of finalising a revival plan.
The CM drew Kumar’s attention towards the losses incurred by the state due to the disasters that had hit the state last year. He stated that the early revival of Rishikesh unit is essential to fulfill its objective to meet the emergency needs of the people for supply of medicines during natural calamities. This he said would increase the economic activities in the region and provide opportunities to the unemployed youths of the region. Rawat said that after IDPl Rishikesh was declared sick, hardly any money was spent on upkeep of its residential and official buildings due to which the buildings and vital installations are in a dilapidated condition requiring urgent maintenance for proper upkeep.
Earlier, Rawat also met the Union Urban Development minister M Venkaiah Naidu and requested him to include towns of the mountainous region in the smart city projects. Naidu has assured positive development in this direction.