The Hindu : Mashelkar panel defers final report

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Oct 28, 2003

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Mashelkar panel defers final report

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI OCT.27. The Mashelkar Committee on spurious drugs has deferred the submission of its much-awaited final report to the Union Health Ministry. The panel, which was earlier scheduled to submit the report today, is now expected to submit it on November 10.

Speaking to The Hindu, the Chairman of the panel and Director General of CSIR, R.A. Mashelkar, said the work of the committee was almost over. The panel had its last meeting a few days ago and the document was getting ready.

The final report is awaited as pending its recommendation, the Centre has withheld a decision on the sensitive issue of whether or not to take over the States' power of granting licence for drug manufacturing units. Now, there is a dual system of control, under which the Centre approves the grant of licence and the States give it. The system is riddled with a host of problems. So much so, the National Human Rights Commission in an order issued in 1999 recommended that the Centre examine the possibility of taking over the entire system of licensing. The matter has been hanging fire since then.

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