Quick take: If you want to buy a medicine from a Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Kendra (PMBJK), start with the Jan Aushadhi Sugam app or the official PMBI Kendra locator. Search the medicine by its generic name / active ingredient (salt), compare the listed product and MRP, and take your prescription to the pharmacist. Do not switch a prescribed medicine solely because the strip looks similar or the price is lower. Ask the pharmacist to confirm the same active ingredient, strength, dosage form and route before buying. PMBI says its generic medicines have the same efficacy and therapeutic value as branded medicines, while batches are tested at NABL-approved laboratories before supply. (Jan Aushadhi)
What Jan Aushadhi actually is
Jan Aushadhi is not simply “cheap medicine.”
It is the government-backed Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP), implemented by the Pharmaceuticals & Medical Devices Bureau of India (PMBI).
As of 30 June 2026, 20,149 Jan Aushadhi Kendras had been opened across India. The current PMBJP product basket covers about 2,100 medicines and 300 surgical items. (Press Information Bureau)
The purpose is to make quality generic medicines available at affordable prices.
Step 1 — Find a genuine Jan Aushadhi KendraYou have two easy routes.
Option A: Jan Aushadhi Sugam
The official Jan Aushadhi Sugam app can:
- locate nearby Jan Aushadhi Kendras;
- provide map directions;
- search generic medicines;
- compare generic and branded MRPs;
- show potential savings. (Jan Aushadhi)
The app is available for Android and iOS. (Press Information Bureau)
Option B: Official PMBI website
The PMBI website has a Locate Kendra facility where you can search using:
State → District → PIN code → Kendra code
(Jan Aushadhi)
Don't rely on a random Google Maps listing alone. If there is any doubt, cross-check the outlet through the official PMBI locator.
Official Jan Aushadhi Kendra locator
Step 2 — Don't search only by brand nameThis is the most important part.
Your prescription might say a brand name.
What you need to identify is the medicine's:
Active ingredient / generic name + strength + dosage form
For example:
Prescription: Brand X 500 mg tablet
Ask: “What is the active ingredient and strength?”
The salt is the useful bridge between the prescription and a generic product.
The 4-part salt matchBefore buying, compare these four things:
CheckPrescriptionJan Aushadhi productActive ingredient / salt✓✓Strengthe.g. 500 mgMust matchDosage formTablet / capsule / syrup etc.Must matchRouteOral / topical / injectable etc.Must match
If all four line up, you have a much better basis for asking the pharmacist whether the Jan Aushadhi product corresponds to the prescribed medicine.
Price is not part of the medical equivalence check.
A cheaper strip is not automatically the correct strip.
Step 3 — Take the prescription with youYour pharmacy checklist:
Carry
- Current prescription
- Previous medicine strip, if available
- Doctor's written dosage instructions
- Your usual medicine list
- Patient's allergy information, where relevant
For long-term medicines, keeping the old strip + prescription together is especially useful because it lets the pharmacist see exactly what you've been taking.
Step 4 — Ask the pharmacist one simple questionInstead of:
“Give me the cheapest version.”
Say:
“Please check whether the Jan Aushadhi medicine has the same active ingredient, strength and dosage form as my prescription.”
That's a much safer conversation.
If there is uncertainty, contact the prescribing doctor rather than making the decision yourself.
Step 5 — Use Sugam to check the productThe official Sugam app was specifically designed to let citizens search Jan Aushadhi generic medicines and compare generic versus branded MRP and overall savings. (Jan Aushadhi)
So your sequence becomes:
Prescription
↓
Identify salt + strength
↓
Search Sugam
↓
Find Jan Aushadhi product
↓
Visit Kendra
↓
Pharmacist confirms product
↓
Buy
This is better than walking into a store and asking for “the cheapest tablet for this problem.”
What “generic” does NOT meanA common misconception is:
Generic = inferior
PMBI's FAQ states that generic medicines have the same efficacy and therapeutic value as branded medicines. PMBI also says batches procured from CPSUs and private suppliers are tested at NABL-approved laboratories and must conform to required standards before being supplied to Kendras. (Jan Aushadhi)
So the relevant question isn't:
“Is it branded?”
It is:
“Is this the appropriate medicine prescribed for me, in the correct strength and form?”
Don't make the “same salt” mistakeEven matching the active ingredient isn't enough in every situation.
For example, two products may contain the same ingredient but differ in:
- strength;
- dosage form;
- release mechanism;
- combination ingredients;
- route of administration.
So don't treat:
same-sounding salt = automatic substitution
as a universal rule.
For medicines where formulation or release characteristics matter, confirm with the pharmacist and, when necessary, the prescriber.
Prescription checklist at the counterBefore paying, check:
1. Name
Does the product contain the intended active ingredient?
2. Strength
Does 500 mg actually mean 500 mg in the prescribed form?
3. Form
Tablet ≠ capsule ≠ syrup ≠ cream ≠ injection.
4. Quantity
Did you receive the quantity prescribed?
5. Directions
Do you know how much, how often and for how long?
6. Expiry
Check the expiry date.
7. Pack
Don't accept a damaged or suspiciously opened pack.
8. Bill
Keep the bill, particularly for chronic medicines.
Don't stop a medicine because the generic costs lessThis guide is about buying the prescribed medicine, not deciding whether you still need it.
Don't independently:
- stop a blood-pressure medicine;
- halve a dose;
- replace an antibiotic;
- discontinue a steroid;
- change an insulin regimen;
- alter an anticoagulant;
- substitute a combination medicine.
If the prescription has changed, follow the new prescription.
If the medicine isn't available, ask the pharmacist what is available and contact the prescriber when substitution requires clinical confirmation.
What if the Kendra says “not available”?Don't immediately buy a random substitute.
Try:
1. Ask when the product may be available.
2. Check another nearby Jan Aushadhi Kendra.
3. Search the product again in Sugam.
4. Ask the pharmacist whether an equivalent PMBJP product exists.
5. If the prescribed medicine is time-critical, follow your doctor's/pharmacist's advice rather than waiting indefinitely.
The official PMBI locator can help you identify another Kendra. (Jan Aushadhi)
Don't confuse MRP comparison with medical adviceSugam can help answer:
“How much does this Jan Aushadhi product cost compared with the listed branded alternative?”
It does not answer:
“Should I take this medicine?”
That decision remains clinical.
Use the app as a price and availability/navigation tool, not as a doctor.
A smart monthly routine for chronic medicinesFor parents or anyone taking long-term medication:
Once a month
1. Photograph the current prescription.
↓
2. Write down each active ingredient + strength.
↓
3. Search Sugam.
↓
4. Check the nearest Kendra.
↓
5. Take the prescription to the pharmacist.
↓
6. Buy only after the salt/strength/form check.
↓
7. Keep the bill and one empty strip for the next purchase.
That last step sounds trivial.
It prevents the classic:
“I know the tablet is blue. I don't remember its name.”What about medicines for children?
Be extra careful.
Children's medicines can have different:
- concentrations;
- formulations;
- weight-based dosing;
- measuring requirements.
A 5 mL syrup is not necessarily equivalent to another product's 5 mL.
For children, show the prescription and ask the pharmacist to confirm the exact concentration and prescribed dose.
What about elderly patients?Make a one-page medicine sheet:
Medicine | Salt | Strength | Morning | Afternoon | Night | Before/after food
Carry it to the Kendra with the latest prescription.
This is especially useful when multiple medicines come from different doctors.
If you suspect the medicine is wrongStop and verify rather than guessing.
Keep:
- prescription;
- medicine strip;
- bill;
- batch number;
- expiry date.
Then speak to the pharmacist and, where appropriate, the prescribing doctor.
For complaints or PMBJP/Kendra-related support, PMBI lists 1800-180-8080 as its toll-free number. (Jan Aushadhi)
The 60-second Jan Aushadhi ruleBefore buying, ask yourself:
Did I find the right Kendra?
Did I identify the salt?
Does the strength match?
Does the dosage form match?
Did the pharmacist confirm it?
Did I check expiry and pack?
Did I keep the bill?
If yes, you've avoided most of the avoidable confusion.
Family “medicine folder”Keep one folder containing:
- current prescriptions;
- medicine list;
- allergy information;
- previous strips;
- Jan Aushadhi bills;
- doctor contact details;
- insurance / scheme information where relevant.
For elderly parents, keep a printed copy as well as the phone version.
How NetaSampark helps
Medicine choice is a healthcare decision, not a political one.
NetaSampark can help citizens navigate the public-service layer around it — finding practical government-service information, organising official contacts and understanding where to escalate a recurring access problem.
Be Informed. Be Heard.
Sources checked
- PMBI / Jan Aushadhi official website: Kendra locator, product information, FAQ and citizen support. (Jan Aushadhi)
- PMBI: current PMBJP overview, product basket and Sugam functionality. (Jan Aushadhi)
- Press Information Bureau / Department of Pharmaceuticals: Sugam's medicine search, Kendra-location and price-comparison functions. (Press Information Bureau)
- PIB, 24 July 2026: 20,149 Jan Aushadhi Kendras reported as of 30 June 2026. (Press Information Bureau)