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FMRAI plans to gherao Parliament in Nov if demands not met

Around 1.5 lakh medical representatives of pharmaceutical companies in the country, who are on a two-day nationwide strike in support of their 25-point charter of demands, plan to gherao Parliament in November if theirdemands are not addressed by Parliament in the monsoon session.

Around 1.5 lakh medical representatives of pharmaceutical companies in the country, who are on a two-day (August17-18) nationwide strike in support of their 25-point charter of demands, plan to gherao Parliament in November if theirdemands are not addressed by Parliament in the monsoon session.

Among the major demands put up by the Federation of Medical & SalesRepresentatives? Association of India (FMRAI) before Parliamentinclude a parliamentary investigation on violations by bothmultinational and Indian drug companies of the Sales PromotionEmployees (Conditions of Service) Act, 1976, formation of a centraladvisory committee for enforcement of the SPE Act, inclusion of?imprisonment? as punishment for violations of the SPE Act,replacement of management enforced private working rules withstatutory working rules under SPE Act, etc.

Speaking to FE here on Tuesday, Debashis Dey, joint general secretary Bihar-Jharkhand Sales Representatives? Union (BJSRU) cum workingcommittee member, FMRAI, some of the other demands put up by the FMRAIinclude: a high-level inquiry into black marketing, unethical trade and marketing practices indulged in by drug companies in the country; inclusion of 254 more drugs (apart from the existing 74) in the ?essential drugs? list; complete removal of excise duty on ?essential drugs? and fixation of a minimum MRP for such drugs; reverting to cost-based from the present MRP-based excise duty; a cap on all medicine prices and revival of public sector drug companies like IDPL, Hindustan Antibiotic, Bengal Immunity, etc.

State units of medical representatives across the country affiliated to both the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (Citu) as well as the Federation of Medical & Sales Representatives? Association of India (FMRAI) are spearheading the strike.

According to Kaushik Bhattacharyya, local secretary, Bihar-Jharkhand Sales Representatives? Union (BJSRU) affiliated to both Citu and FMRAI, the industry?s demands have been placed with the Lok Sabha Speaker by FMRAI general secretary D P Dubey and is likely to be taken up for discussion in the ongoing monsoon session of Parliament.

?In case our (Centre-related) demands are not met, we would gherao Parliament in November?, said Bhattacharyya, adding that apart from the association?s demands from the Centre, the various FMRAI state units had some more demands which are to be met by the pharmaceutical industry as well as by the various state governments.

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First published on: 18-08-2010 at 01:38 IST
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