India to have 10,000 Janaushadhi Kendras soon: PM Modi

New Delhi , March 7 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said that the government wants to reach a target of opening 10,000 Janaushadhi Kendras very soon and added that these centres are helping people from poor and middle-class families save around Rs 3,600 crores annually.

Addressing Janaushadhi Diwas celebrations and interacting with beneficiaries of Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana, through video conferencing, the Prime Minister said this scheme is helping to provide cheap medicines to the citizens living in tribal areas in the Northeast and in the mountainous areas.

"Today when the 7500th centre has been inaugurated in Shillong. It is clear from this how much public health centres are expanding in the Northeast. We had less than 100 Janaushadhi centres till 2014. We want to reach the target of opening 10,000 centres very soon. I want to request state governments to take a pledge for 75 Janaushadhi centres each in 75 districts on the 75th year of our independence. We should also set a target of double the beneficiaries of Janaushadhi centres," he said.