Daily Current Affairs for UPSC, IAS, UPPSC/UPPCS, BPSC, MPPSC, RPSC and All State PCS Examinations

NPPA Is Monitoring Price Increase of Critical Medical Equipments for COVID-19

IN NEWS

• In the wake of COVID-19 pandemic, Government is striving to ensure sufficient availability of critical medical equipment’s for clinical management of COVID-19 in the country. Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoH&FW) has identified list of critical medical equipments for the same and has requested National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) to ensure availability of the same in the country.

PURPOSE

• In order to keep check on the price rise of critical medical equipments, NPPA, in exercise of powers conferred under DPCO, 2013, has called for price related data from manufacturers/importers of (i) Pulse Oximeter and (ii) Oxygen Concentrator to ensure that prices existing as on 1st April 2020 should not be increased more than 10% in a year.
• Chairman, NPPA also urged the Industry that it is not “Business as usual” and not the time to profiteer in the public health emergency. The Medical Devices Industry Associations have been urged to bring down the retail price of critical medical equipments in larger public interest in the prevailing situation as has been done by the manufacturers/importers of N-95 masks.

National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority

• National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) was constituted vide Government of India Resolution dated 29th August, 1997 as an attached office of the Department of Pharmaceuticals (DoP), Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers as an independent Regulator for pricing of drugs and to ensure availability and accessibility of medicines at affordable prices.
• NPPA provides ceiling price to all Drugs notified under Schedule-I of the DPCO, 2013 and monitors annual price increase for these and the non-scheduled drugs. It has so far given ceiling price to 856 scheduled formulations and 950 new drugs.
• PPA administers ‘Pharma Sahi Dam’ and ‘Pharma Jan Samadhan’ platforms for information on medicine prices and registering public grievances. The Integrated Public Database Management System (IPDMS) is being implemented for online information collection from Pharma manufacturers.

DAC Approves Capital Acquisition of Various Platforms & Equipment worth Rs. 38,900 Crore

IN NEWS

• In the current situation and the need to strengthen the Armed Forces for the defence of our borders and in line with Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s clarion call for ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’, Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) in its meeting of today held under the chairmanship of Defence Minister Shri Rajnath Singh accorded approval for capital acquisition of various platforms and equipment required by the Indian Armed Forces.

DEFENCE ACQUISITION COUNCIL

• The Defence Acquisition Council is the highest decision-making body in the Defence Ministry for deciding on new policies and capital acquisitions for the three services (Army, Navy and Air Force) and the Indian Coast Guard.
• The Minister of Defence is the Chairman of the Council.
• It was formed, after the Group of Ministers recommendations on 'Reforming the National Security System', in 2001, post Kargil War (1999).

PURPOSE

• The objective of the Defence Acquisition Council is to ensure expeditious procurement of the approved requirements of the Armed Forces in terms of capabilities sought, and time frame prescribed, by optimally utilizing the allocated budgetary resources.

THE COMPOSITION OF THE DAC IS AS FOLLOWS:

• Defence Minister: Chairman
• Minister of State for Defence: Member
• Chief of Army Staff: Member
• Chief of Naval Staff: Member
• Chief of Air Staff: Member
• Defence Secretary: Member
• Secretary Defence Research & Development: Member
• Secretary Defence Production: Member
• Chief of Integrated Staff Committees HQ IDS: Member
• Director General (Acquisition): Member
• Dy. Chief of Integrated Defence: Staff Member Secretary

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