Medical, sales representatives strike on April 24

Chennai, Apr 22 (UNI) More than 1.5 lakh medical and sales representatives of various pharma firms would go on a day-long strike on April 24 to press their demands.

The strike call was given by the Federation of Medical and Sales Representatives Associations of India (FMRAI).

Talking to reporters here today, Association Tamil Nadu unit General Secretary R Ramesh Sundar said about 6,000 members of the Association and 60,000 non-members would participate in the strike.

Their demands included removal of excise duty on essential and life saving drugs and imposition of uniform rate of four per cent excise duty on other drugs.

The total exemption of excise duty on all drugs in states like Himachal Pradesh, Uttaranchal and Jammu and Kashmir had put the industry in a disadvantageous position.

They were also demanding that the Centre bring in a cap on prices of all medicines and prevent proliferation of spurious and sub-standard drugs.

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