Union Chemicals and Fertilisers Minister D V Sadananda Gowda on Monday introduced a bill in Lok Sabha that seeks to provide the national importance tag to six pharmaceutical education and research institutes in the country.

The National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (Amendment) Bill, 2021 provides for granting the status of national importance to the six institutes 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.

"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.