Health Minister J. P. Nadda on Saturday inaugurated the 10th anniversary of the government-run AMRIT pharmacy scheme and announced plans to expand the network from the current 255 outlets to 500 across the country.
Launched in 2015, the AMRIT chain provides essential and life-saving medicines at discounts of 50% to 90%. Government data shows more than 6.85 crore patients have used the service, with medicines worth over ₹17,000 crore at maximum retail price sold at reduced rates, resulting in estimated savings of about ₹8,500 crore.
Nadda said the government now aims to ensure that every medical college and district hospital has an AMRIT outlet, noting that all All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) already host one. He urged greater public awareness so more people can access discounted medicines.
Health Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava said the initiative was launched under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s direction to ensure equitable access to affordable medicines. She said HLL Lifecare Ltd., which runs the network, would continue expanding and strengthening operations.
During the event, Nadda opened 10 new AMRIT outlets and launched AMRIT ITes – Eco Green Version 2.0, a digital platform designed to improve transparency and operational efficiency. The programme also saw the release of a commemorative postal stamp and a Coffee Table Book detailing the initiative’s decade-long journey.
A mobile pharmacy van for rural outreach in the NCR region was flagged off, and a 24×7 national contact centre was launched to provide information on medicine availability, pricing and nearby AMRIT outlets.
HLL Lifecare Ltd., a Mini Ratna public sector enterprise under the Health Ministry, serves as the implementing agency for AMRIT and operates across pharmaceuticals, medical devices, diagnostic services and healthcare infrastructure.