Pranab Mukherjee inaugurates FDA Bhawan

New Delhi, Oct 13 (UNI) External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee today inaugurated the Food&Drugs Administration (FDA) Bhawan here and asked the pharmaceuticals industry to be more careful about the quality of the drugs being produced in the country.

''It's a priviledge for me to have the opportunity to dedicate the Food&Drugs Administration Bhawan to the nation,'' Mr Mukherjee said during the inauguration ceremony.

''Food and drugs are two fast growing sectors of India and we need to strengthen their standards by quality and quantity,'' he added.

Minister of Health and Family Welfare Anbumani Ramadoss, who was also present on the occasion said that the establishment of the FDA Bhawan was a long standing demand for the industry for 40-50 years.

''This building was envisaged under the Capacity Building Project, a World Bank-assisted project designed for strengthening and upgrading the infrastructure and building capacity of the personnel in the food and drug sector," Dr Ramadoss said, adding, ''Currently the size of the pharmaceuticals industry is estimated at more than Rs 60,000 crore and India is fast emerging as a hub for Pharma and Biotech products,'' he added.

Dr Ramadoss also mentioned that the first priority of the food and drug industry has to be the consumer. Hence, the industry has to be more careful about whether the drugs and food items, imported and exported, are safe to consume or not.

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