The Ministry of Law and Justice has passed the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research Act, 2021 on December 18, 2021. The Act seeks to amend the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research Act, 1998 which had designated NIPER, Punjab (SAS Nagar) as an institute of national importance.
Key amendments:
- The amendment provides that every Institute established under sub-section (2A) of section 4, on and after the commencement of the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (Amendment) Act, 2021, shall be an institution of national importance.
- The Act provides for a Council to coordinate the activities among the institutes under the Act to ensure development of pharmaceutical education and research and maintenance of standards.
- The functions of the Council:
- advising on matters related to course duration, and admission standards in the institutes,
- formulating policies for recruitment, conditions of service, and fees,
- examining and approving development plans of the institutes, and
- examining annual budget estimates of the institutes for recommendations to the Central Government for allocation of funds.
- The Schedule under the Act declares six additional National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research as Institutions of National Importance. These institutes are located in: (i) Ahmedabad, (ii) Hajipur, (iii) Hyderabad, (iv) Kolkata, (v) Guwahati, and (vi) Raebareli.