As India grapples with a rising burden of chronic diseases, the government is turning its focus to advancing biologic medicines. In the recently concluded Budget session, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced a new scheme called Biopharma Shakthi with an outlay of ₹10,000 crore. The goal, she said in her Budget speech, is to develop India as a global Biopharma manufacturing hub.

“India’s disease burden is observed to be shifting towards non-communicable diseases, like diabetes, cancer and autoimmune disorders. Biologic medicines are key to longevity and quality of life at affordable costs,” Sitharaman announced, adding that the new scheme will help build an ecosystem for domestic production of biopharmaceuticals.

What is Biopharma Shakti?

The Finance Minister has proposed the Biopharma SHAKTI (Strategy for Healthcare Advancement through Knowledge, Technology and Innovation) scheme with an outlay of ₹10,000 crore over the next 5 years.

What are the contours of the scheme

Biopharma Shakti is aimed at building an ecosystem for domestic production of biologics and biosimilars. The proposal includes development of a Biopharma-focused network with three new National Institutes of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER) and upgrading 7 existing ones. It will create a network of over 1000 accredited clinical trials sites in India. The proposal also includes strengthening the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) to meet global standards and approval timeframes through a dedicated scientific review cadre and specialists.

What is Biopharma?

Biopharma or biopharmaceuticals refers to medicines developed using microorganisms or other living biological systems, instead of chemically synthesising the drugs. These may be from human or animal cells, bacteria, fungi or similar biological platforms that are used to grow or produce therapeutic substances. Because they are produced through biological processes, these medicines are often more complex and can target diseases more precisely than conventional pharmaceuticals.

Vaccines, antibody therapies, insulin, gene and cell therapies, biosimilars, are some examples of biopharmaceuticals. From vaccines and cancer therapies to treatments for chronic and rare diseases, biopharma products have become central to modern healthcare.

What are the other similar govt initiatives in the biopharma sector?

India has rolled out multiple initiatives over the past decade to strengthen its biopharma ecosystem. The National Biopharma Mission (NBM), launched in 2017 with a ₹1,500-crore outlay, focuses on developing vaccines, biotherapeutics, diagnostics and medical devices while promoting industry–academia collaboration and improving affordability. It was co-funded by the World Bank and implemented by the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) under the Department of Biotechnology (DBT).

The BIRAC, established in 2012 under DBT, supports early-stage innovation through grants, incubation centres and mentorship programmes aimed at startups and translational research. Key programmes include the Biotechnology Ignition Grant (Up to ₹50 lakh for 18 months to support early-stage startups), SEED Fund (₹30 lakh equity support for proof-of-concept stage startups), LEAP Fund (₹100 lakh equity support for commercialisation-ready innovations), Amrit Grand Challenge (supporting digital health tech innovations in AI, machine learning, telemedicine, and blockchain technologies, with a focus on tier-II, tier-III cities and rural areas).

To boost domestic manufacturing, schemes such as the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) for pharmaceuticals, the Strengthening of Pharmaceutical Industry (SPI) scheme and Bulk Drug Parks focus on reducing import dependence and upgrading production infrastructure.

More recent initiatives include the PRIP scheme (2023) supporting drug discovery, biosimilars and medical devices, and the BioE3 policy with the Bio-RIDE scheme, which emphasise biomanufacturing, entrepreneurship and biotechnology research.

Published on February 7, 2026