An investment totaling Rs 4,763.34 crore has been made in the three and a half years since the launch of the scheme for the Promotion of Bulk Drug Parks, with the figure recorded up to September 2025, exceeding the investment commitment of Rs 4,329.95 crore over a six-year period dedicated to greenfield projects, as per government reports.

The PLI scheme for Bulk Drugs seeks to mitigate the risk of supply disruptions for essential Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) necessary for critical medications that lack alternatives by lessening excessive reliance on a single source. The scheme is allocated a budget of Rs 6,940 crore.

Union Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilizers, Anupriya Patel, provided information in a written response in Rajya Sabha, stating that production capacities for 26 Key Starting Materials (KSMs), Drug Intermediates (DIs), and APIs have been established, most of which were predominantly imported before. The scheme has yielded cumulative sales of Rs 2,315.44 crore up to September 2025, including exports amounting to Rs 508.12 crore, effectively averting imports valued at Rs 1,807.32 crore.

The PLI Scheme for Pharmaceuticals aims to boost India’s manufacturing capabilities by increasing both investment and production within the pharmaceuticals sector while contributing to the diversification of products, particularly focusing on high-value items.

The scheme incentivizes the production of high-value medicines, such as biopharmaceuticals, complex generic drugs, patented drugs or those approaching patent expiration, autoimmune drugs, anti-cancer drugs, and also the production of APIs, DIs, and KSMs not covered under the PLI Scheme for Bulk Drugs.

This scheme has a budget allocation of Rs 15,000 crore. As of September 2025, the committed investment of Rs 17,275 crore, intended for the six-year duration of the scheme, has been significantly surpassed, with a cumulative investment of Rs 40,890 crore made within three and a half years across both brownfield and greenfield projects.

In addition, 726 APIs, KSMs, and DIs are currently being manufactured under the scheme, which includes 191 products made for the first time through this initiative.

The total domestic sales of APIs, KSMs, and DIs produced under the scheme until September 2025 amount to Rs 26,123 crore, contributing to the reduction of imports. The scheme is set to continue through the financial year 2028-29, according to the minister.