Health2 min
BSF Opens Janaushadhi Kendra in Fatikchera, Tripura, Offering Cheaper Medicines
A new government-backed pharmacy at the BSF campus gate in West Tripura aims to cut medicine bills for soldiers, veterans and border villagers alike.
The Border Security Force has opened a Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Kendra at Fatikchera in West Tripura, bringing lower-cost generic medicines to a stretch of the state where the nearest pharmacy can be a long trip away. Inspector General Princee Rani, head of the BSF Tripura Frontier, inaugurated the outlet on Monday, November 3, with senior BSF officers, medical staff from the force and civil hospitals, and local border residents in attendance.
The shop is the product of a tripartite arrangement between the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Bureau of India, the SWADHIN Trust and the BSF. It runs under the Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana, a scheme of the Department of Pharmaceuticals, which is built on a simple idea: a generic version of a medicine can do the same job as its branded twin for a fraction of the price.
For shoppers, the math is the appeal. Janaushadhi outlets generally sell at roughly 50 to 90 per cent below the price of branded equivalents. Products are tested at NABL-accredited laboratories and made under Good Manufacturing Practices, which is the standard regulators expect from any reputable manufacturer. The shelves cover medicines for long-term conditions, surgical items and nutritional supplements, and the Suvidha sanitary napkin brand sells for just Rs 1 a pad.
Location matters as much as price. The Kendra sits at the entrance to the BSF campus, so serving and retired personnel and their families can pick up prescriptions without a detour, and families in nearby border villages get the same easy access. For households that have historically stocked up at private pharmacies or travelled to towns for basic refills, that convenience can translate into real savings over a year.
The opening also fits into the BSF Tripura Frontier's Border Outreach Programme, which has run football and volleyball tournaments, marathons, blood donation drives, medical camps, sports and stationery handouts, skill training and preparation for recruitment into Central Armed Police Forces. Healthcare access now sits alongside those efforts, framing the force's presence in the region as one that extends beyond security duties.
Princee Rani urged residents to make use of the scheme and to get the right medicines on time instead of delaying treatment. For anyone living near the Fatikchera campus, that message is simple: check whether a generic version of your prescription is on the shelf before you pay full price.
Read the original report on the inauguration at Asianet Newsable.
