Intro : The Telangana Chamber of Chemists and Druggists secured Asaduddin Owaisi’s backing for their May 20 nationwide bandh against e-pharmacies.
HYDERABAD
A high-level delegation from the Telangana Chamber of Chemists and Druggists met with All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) President Asaduddin Owaisi, successfully securing his official backing for their upcoming protests.
The pharmacy association presented a list of crucial demands to the Hyderabad MP, chief among them being immediate government action against illegal e-pharmacy operators.
The delegation argued that unregulated online pharmacies pose a major threat to public health and create unfair competition for traditional, brick-and-mortar drugstores.
Additionally, the chemists requested Owaisi’s political support in demanding the withdrawal of two specific central government notifications:
- Notification GSR 817(E) (issued August 2018), which laid out initial draft rules for regulating online pharmacies.
- Notification G.S.R. 220(E) (issued March 2020), which was introduced during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic to permit the doorstep delivery of prescription medicines.
Owaisi listened to the group’s concerns and assured the delegation that AIMIM stands firmly behind the traditional pharmacy sector. He promised to formally raise these structural issues on the floor of the House during Parliament’s upcoming Monsoon Session.
Furthermore, the AIMIM chief extended his party’s full solidarity to the one-day nationwide bandh (shutdown) called by the association, which is officially scheduled to take place on May 20, 2026.