70 coop drug stores opened across state
The state government on Thursday inaugurated 70 co-operative pharmaceuticals in the state to supply medicine to people at discount prices.
Chief Minister M K Stalin inaugurated the drug stores covering 36 districts, including four in Chennai, at a function held in the state secretariat. The state cooperative department is already running 303 such shops that sell drugs with upto 20% discount. Like fair price shops, the cooperative drug stores also help keep a tab on drug prices in the market. In addition to the existing 303 shops, the state government had announced in the State Assembly recently that about 600 cooperative drug stores would be made operational in five years by opening another 300 shops at the rate of 60 per year.
Accordingly, 70 shops were opened on Thursday, including one each at Mylapore, Royapettai, Kolathur and Kodungayur in Chennai. A statement issued by the Tamil Nadu government in this regard said the cooperative drug stores were being received well by the people as private drug stores in the neighbourhood of the cooperative drug stores were reducing the prices of medicines. The government also said the cooperative drug stores were equipped with necessary infrastructure like computers and air conditioning facilities at par with private pharmacies. A pharmacist and an assistant would be on duty in each cooperative drug store. State cooperative minister I Periasamy, commercial taxes minister P Moorthy and MLAs were present during the inauguration. The opposition AIADMK has accused the ruling DMK of allegedly attempting to shut down the Amma clinics and pharmacies opened in the previous regime. However, the ruling dispensation dismissed the accusations and said that there were no plans to shut down brand ‘Amma’ pharmacies.