Duddilla Sridhar Babu, Telangana’s Minister for Information Technology, Electronics and Communications, Industries, Commerce, and Legislative Affairs, has asked the Centre to address crucial issues impacting India’s pharmaceutical services sector.

In a letter to Jagat Prakash Nadda, Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilizers, Babu requested simplification of the process for issue of No Objection Certificates (NOCs) and manufacturing licences by removing the need for central counter-signatures and waiving early-stage research NOCs.

“The recent budget’s rollback of customs duty on lab chemicals to 10 per cent was a positive step but still leaves industry issues unresolved. To address ongoing disruptions in R&D and quality control, amending the draft gazette notification onCustoms to include distributors and resellers is essential for a seamless supply chain,’‘ he said in the letter. 

Babu also asked the Union Minister to enhance measures to protect proprietary information by using specific codes instead of chemical names during initial screenings and provide flexibility and stability in data requirements for licencing, particularly for export-focused projects.

He requested waiving of licencing requirements for small lab-scale batches or implement a tiered licencing system to facilitate research and development activities, according to a release. 

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