BS RAWAT
NEW DELHI : Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that generic medicines provided by the Janaushadhi stores are almost 50 to 90 per cent cheaper and this has led to savings worth Rs 1,000 crore for common people.

Mr Modi was speaking in an interaction with beneficiaries of the Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP) through video conferencing on March 7, 2019.

The Prime Minister said that 5,000 Janaushadhi stores have been opened in the last five years which are providing quality medicines at affordable rates.

Interacting with beneficiaries and store owners, he claimed, "The government has reduced the prices of 850 medicines of common use. Besides, prices of heart stent and equipment for knee surgery, which are delicate and costly, have been slashed."

“These major steps by the government have greatly benefited not only the poor, but also the middle class,” Mr Modi said.

The Prime Minister also informed that in the past four and a half years, 15 new AIIMS have been either built or are being built and 31,000 MBBS and post-graduation seats in medical sector have been increased.