India's Pharma PLI Finds a New Frontier in Russia

As the previous year drew to a close, the deadline for the sixth round of applications under the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme for bulk drug manufacturing also concluded.

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The window for applications was open for a month, beginning on November 27, 2025.

This sixth round of the PLI Scheme focuses on Key Starting Materials (KSMs), Drug Intermediates (DIS), and Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs), with special emphasis on two essential medicines - Meropenem, a broad-spectrum antibiotic, and Ritonavir, a critical anti-retroviral drug. Earlier in May, applications were invited for 11 bulk drug categories for manufacturing critical KSMS, DIs, and APIs. The government's objective behind the PLI Scheme for bulk drugs is clear. It wants to steadily strengthen the country's essential pharmaceutical manufacturing ecosystem. The results are visible.

India, once dependent on imports, has now become a net exporter of bulk drugs and APIs. From a deficit of Rs 1,930 crore in 2021-22, the sector has moved to a surplus of Rs 2,280 crore in 2024-25. In the first three years since the scheme was launched, pharma sales supported under PLI crossed Rs 2.66 lakh crore, including Rs 1.7 lakh crore worth of exports.