Breakthrough: Rs 2,071 cr bulk drug park gets EC in HP

Shimla: In a landmark step, the upcoming Rs 2,071 crore Bulk Drug Park, proposed for the Una district, has received Environmental Clearance (EC) from the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC).

This approval clears the decks for setting up one of India’s most crucial pharmaceutical infrastructure projects. The park aims to reduce India’s dependence on imports of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs)—the core components that deliver therapeutic effects in medicines—and Key Starting Materials (KSMs), the essential raw materials for drug manufacturing.

In a landmark development, the upcoming Bulk Drug Park at Una has secured environmental clearance (EC) from the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC). This clearance has paved the way for the establishment of one of India’s most significant infrastructure projects in the pharmaceutical sector, aiming to reduce dependency on Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API), a biologically active component of a drug that provides the therapeutic effect, and Key Starting Material (KSM), a fundamental raw material, from other countries.

Giving this information here on Friday, a senior officer of the state’s industries department said the Bulk Drug Park will entail a capital cost of Rs 2,071 crores, with Rs 996.45 crore as grant-in-aid from the government of India and Rs 1,074.55 crore from the state government.

The crucial project holds an investment potential of Rs 8,000 to 10,000 crore and is expected to generate direct and indirect employment opportunities for 15,000 to 20,000 persons.

The park was considered in the EAC meeting in January 2025, wherein a subcommittee of the EAC was constituted for site inspection.