New Delhi: The Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme has helped India reduce its reliance on China for imports. The scheme offers incentives to manufacturers to set up and expand production facilities in India.

On the occasion of the 16th edition of CPHI and PMEC India 2023, the Chairman of the Pharmaceuticals Export Promotion Council of India (PHARMEXCIL), Dr Veeramani SV said that after the introduction of the PLI scheme, the reliance on China has reduced to some extent.

Veeramani, in an interview with ANI on India as a 'Pharmacy of the World' has reduced dependency on China, said, "The Indian market, to some extent, has reduced dependency on China because the PLI schemes have been introduced around selected molecules by India trying to make it here in the country and it'll take one or two years for those products to come out fully on a commercial scale's, to some extent it will be low, but it will take some more years to reduce dependency on China."

Earlier, India was dependent to some extent on China for the import of APIs but in the last two years, India has started producing 45 APIs after China stopped providing key ingredients during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In September, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya at the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER) said, " India has started producing 45 APIs after China stopped providing key ingredients during the Covid-19 pandemic.

India's dependence on China is still high, but it has decreased significantly in the last four years. The PLI scheme could reduce India's dependence on China by 25-30 per cent in the next 4-5 years.

Some of the products that India imports from China include: plastics, clothes and textiles, motor vehicles, accessories and spare parts, electronic components, smartphones, smart TVs, pharmaceutical products, heavy machinery and organic fertilizers.

On rising walking pneumonia in China Dr Veeramani said, "We are very sensitive about it because of the COVID experience. But we are trying to find out what is causing this problem in China and we found that, as far as I know, there is no new virus in China; some bacterial infections are there, so there is no threat to India."

A notable surge in respiratory illness in children in northern China in recent weeks was reported. Against this backdrop, the Union Health Ministry has proactively decided to review the preparedness measures against respiratory illnesses as a matter of abundant caution.

Recently, information shared by the WHO has indicated an increase in respiratory illness in northern parts of China. As per WHO, the release of COVID-19 restrictions coinciding with the onset of the winter season, in addition to the cyclical trend of respiratory illnesses such as Mycoplasma pneumonia, led to this surge.

While WHO has sought additional information from Chinese authorities, it is assessed that there is no cause for alarm at the moment.

"We are supplying to every country--Israel and Palestine--something like USD 90 million worth every year. So, we are ready to give the one training. There may be more medicine requirements," he said of the impact on the pharmaceutical industry due to Israel's war.