New Delhi, Nov 22 (IANS): The Jan Aushadhi Kendras, offering affordable and cheaper medicines to people are not just restricted to rural and remote areas. The residents of metropolitan cities like Noida are also benefiting from the scheme.

A couple of customers, primarily retired Army officers, spoke to IANS and hailed the move as a path-breaking step. They said that it was because of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s goal and foresight that poor people have access to cheaper medicines in the form of generic drugs.

Colonel KS Pathania said that the scheme is affordable and very beneficial for poor people.

“In private medical shops, the medicines are so expensive that common people can’t afford it but these centres have ensured that the even lower rung of society has access to medicines,” he said.

Another customer who identified himself as Colonel Gupta said that the medicines are available at reasonable rates at these centres and in terms of quality, they are second to one. It’s because of this, that the sales at these Jan Aushadhi Kendras have taken a jump.

Owner of the Jan Aushadhi Kendra recalling his association with the PM Jan Aarogya Yojana said that he started this centre in 2015 and has been running it since then.

“We started Dadi ki Rasoi in 2015 to distribute cheap food to poor people. We also thought of starting a medicine shop and this is how it started. This is Noida’s first Jan Aushadhi Kendra. It’s a path-breaking scheme of government, started by Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” he further stated.

“If you buy medicines worth Rs 10,000 from any other store, they cost Rs 2,500 to Rs 3,000 here,” he added.

“There is a common belief that generic drugs are inefficient and inferior as compared to branded ones. There is no such thing. The generic drugs are equally effective as their branded counterpart,” he added.

He also said that the scheme was not just providing cheap medicines to the poor but also providing employment opportunities to a sizeable section of workers.