Mangaluru: “As my son is a mentally challenged person and also suffering from epilepsy, I was forced to spend over Rs 650 every month. But, after the introduction of Jan Aushadhi Centre, my expenditure on medicines has gone down. Now I am getting the same medicines by spending only Rs 250”, informs Yashodha, a resident of Mandekolu village in Sullia taluk.
Yashodha and her husband Dasappa are daily wagers from poor financial background. They have three children and one of them is a mentally challenged person. Though the Jan Aushadhi Centre has not helped them cure their son’s illness, it has reduced their financial burden.
Rajesh Gowda, a resident of Perlampady in Kadaba taluk happily endorses the Jan Aushadhi Kendra. “My father and mother are suffering from age related illness. I was forced to spend nearly Rs 1000 per month before the introduction of Jan Aushadhi centres. But, my expenditure on medicine has now reduced to Rs 400 as I always preferred to take medicines from Jan Aushadhi centres. It is really a good scheme by union government”, says Rajesh.
Medicines available at the Jan Aushadhi Centre are 50 percent to 90 percent cheaper than branded drugs available in the market. Generic medicines sold under this scheme strictly conform with the prescribed standards set by the World Health Organization (WHO) and are of good quality.
Over 600 Jan Aushadhi centres are functioning in the Dakshina Kannada district. The BJP candidate from Mangaluru Lok Sabha constituency Nalin Kumar Kateel and his supporters have been reminding the public about the ‘Jan Aushadhi Scheme’ of the union government while seeking votes from the public. They also assured the public of introducing many more such pro-people programmes, if the BJP government is voted to power again in the centre.
Along with the Jan Aushadhi scheme, Nalin Kumar Kateel informs that over 50,000 people in Dakshina Kannada district have received Rs 700 crore loans under Mudra scheme. Plastic Park, coconut park, special agricultural zone, IT park, smart port projects are in pipeline and it would be implemented in district shortly, informs Nalin Kumar.
Harikrishna Bantwal, the district spokesperson of BJP said, “Nalin has been in the forefront of most of the agitations held against repeated incidents of murders targeting the Hindu youths in the district and the ban imposed on our folk game Kambala. The good works of Nalin would help him win for the third time”, says Harikrishna Bantwal.
