A Decade Later, Vizag Still Waits for Its Promised NIPER

Ten years after the Indian government pledged a National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER) for Visakhapatnam, the project has yet to materialise, raising questions over political will and lost opportunities for one of the country’s key drug manufacturing hubs.

The promise was made in 2016 by then Union Minister Ananth Kumar during a partnership summit, shortly after Andhra Pradesh lost Hyderabad’s NIPER to the newly formed state of Telangana. The proposed institute was expected to span 100 acres and cost around ₹600 crore. Today, it remains a file rather than a construction site.

Insiders in the pharmaceutical sector say the scheme stalled due to weak follow-through and a lack of urgency from both central and state governments. India currently has seven NIPER campuses, located in Mohali, Ahmedabad, Guwahati, Hajipur, Hyderabad, Kolkata, and Raebareli.

In August, Visakhapatnam MP M Sribharat urged Union Health Minister J P Nadda to review the case, describing the city as a major pharmaceutical centre with more than 200 production units, including Dr Reddy’s, Aurobindo Pharma, and Divis Laboratories. A NIPER campus, he argued, could strengthen research, improve collaboration with industry, and generate jobs. Despite this appeal, sources say there has been no movement since.

Andhra Pradesh ranks third among India’s pharmaceutical exporters, after Gujarat and Telangana, and shipped products worth ₹11,390 crore to over 80 countries in 2023-24. Industry figures point out that suitable land is already available near Pharma City in Parawada, Anakapalli district.

O Naresh Kumar, vice-chairperson of the Vizag Development Council, said it has been a decade since the institute was announced, but “nothing has changed on the ground”. With a new pharma park coming up in Anakapalli, he said, the arrival of NIPER could have helped build a far stronger ecosystem.