The Rajya Sabha recently passed the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER) Amendment Bill, 2021. It is designed to amend the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research Act, 1998, which established the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research at Mohali in Punjab as an institution of national importance.
Key Features of the Bill
One of the main functions of this bill is to elevate the status of six additional pharmaceutical education and research institutes – NIPERs – located in Ahmedabad, Hajipur, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Guwahati, and Raebareli, to ‘institute of national importance.’
The bill also provides for the creation of an Advisory Council. This central body will be responsible for coordinating the activities of all the institutes to ensure the coordinated advancement of pharmaceutical education and research, and maintenance of standards. The council’s responsibilities include advising on matters such as course duration, formulating recruitment policies, examining and approving development plans of the institutes, and examining annual budget estimates of the institutes for recommendations to the central government for funds allocation.
In addition, the Bill makes provisions to rationalize the Board of Governors of each NIPER from its present strength of 23 to 12 members. It widens the scope and number of courses run by the institutes.
Significance of the Bill
The NIPERs would function similarly to the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs). The potential for increased research could result in more patents for India, contributing to the production of high-cost pharmaceuticals.
Concerns Associated with the Bill
Several concerns have been raised regarding the NIPERs Amendment Bill. State governments, along with the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities Act), 1989 (SC/ST Act), OBC, and women, are not represented in the NIPERs’s apex council. Concerns about autonomy and over-centralization of power are also evident.
The proposed council has been criticized for possessing excessive powers relating to the financial, administrative, and managerial matters of these institutes. There exists a potential risk that the council, mostly composed of central government bureaucrats and some MPs, may make decisions that are not in a particular institute’s best interest, jeopardizing the institutes’ autonomy.
About National Institutes of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPERs)
NIPERs are deemed as institutions of national importance under the auspices of the Department of Pharmaceutical, Ministry of Chemicals, and Fertilizers. As an autonomous body, any Institution of National Importance is empowered to conduct examinations and grant educational certificates/degrees. These institutions receive funding from the central government.
NIPERs aim to provide leadership in pharmaceutical sciences and related areas within India as well as countries in SouthEast Asia, South Asia, and Africa. Its member NIPER, Mohali, is part of the Association of Indian Universities and Association of Commonwealth Universities. These associations are dedicated to promoting growth and development in higher education and are actively engaged in creating a better world through education in over 50 countries across the Commonwealth.
