Berhampur: Several pharmacist associations staged a rally on Monday and submitted a memorandum to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi through the revenue divisional commissioner (south) demanding establishment of a National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER) in Berhampur.
Members of the South Odisha Pharmacists Association (SOPA), Ganjam-Phulbani Druggists’ and Chemists Association (GPDCA), and several pharmacy students from different institutes here took part in the rally. The rally started from MKCG Medical College and Hospital and went until the RDC’s residence.
P Satyanarayana, president of GPDCA, said pharmacy education started in the state in 1979. “There are five pharmacy institutes in the city that are imparting BPharm and MPharm courses. Students who pass out are doing jobs in various companies. If NIPER is established in Berhampur, students from Odisha and neighbouring states would benefit,” he said.
Bijay Kumar Swain, president of SOPA, said Berhampur has all the potential facilities for the establishment of NIPER. “Its establishment is important as the state govt has planned to set up a pharma cluster in Gopalpur by inviting pharmaceutical companies. Several pharma companies have also shown their keenness to set up units in Gopalpur,” he said.
Earlier, several social activists and all BJP MLAs of Ganjam district submitted memorandums to Majhi demanding the establishment of NIPER at Berhampur, while local MP Pradeep Kumar Panigrahy wrote a letter to the PM and CM in this regard.
NIPERs are now functioning at Mohali, Ahmedabad, Hajipur, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Guwahati and Rae Bareli.
