Jammu, Mar 14 (PTI) Union Minister Jitendra Singh on Saturday laid the foundation stone of a Rs 600 crore pharmaceutical manufacturing facility in Kathua district, in a bid to strengthen India’s strategic capabilities in pharmaceutical manufacturing and reduce import dependence on critical intermediates.

The facility will manufacture the critical antibiotic intermediate Amino Cephalosporanic Acid (ACA), a key component in the production of cephalosporin antibiotics.

The project at village Gadadhar is being set up by Orchid Pharma with facilitation from Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC), under the Department of Biotechnology, an official said.

"The investment of around Rs 600 crore, being made under the government's Production-Linked Incentive Scheme, reflects growing confidence in the industrial and innovation potential of Jammu and Kashmir,” the Union Minister said.

He said the facility is expected to generate direct employment for nearly 400 people, while creating an equal number of indirect employment opportunities for suppliers, logistics providers and other allied sectors.

Singh highlighted that with its growing industrial infrastructure, Kathua has the potential to emerge as a significant pharmaceutical manufacturing hub.

The minister described the project as a breakthrough for the pharmaceutical sector in the region, noting that the facility will manufacture the critical antibiotic intermediate Amino Cephalosporanic Acid (ACA).

At present, India depends almost entirely on imports of this intermediate from China, which creates vulnerabilities in supply security, pricing stability and healthcare access.

“Antibiotics are foundational to modern healthcare, and the pandemic showed how dependence on a single geography for essential inputs can quickly become a national vulnerability," he said.

Highlighting the broader policy vision, Singh said the initiative reflects the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to make India self-reliant in critical healthcare technologies and pharmaceutical supply chains.

He also referred to the newly announced Rs 10,000 crore Biopharma Shakti initiative in the Union Budget aimed at strengthening India’s biotechnology and biopharmaceutical ecosystem.

“The establishment of such advanced pharmaceutical manufacturing units has the potential to place Kathua on India’s pharmaceutical export map,” he said.

The Minister said projects like this not only expand India’s pharmaceutical capacity but also strengthen the country’s health security by ensuring the availability and affordability of essential medicines even during global disruptions. PTI TAS DRR