Separate ministry for pharma sector On the inverted duty structure hampering the pharma and medical devices industries, Mr. Kumar said the government has been following up the issue for the last one-and-a-half years. Union Fertilisers Minister Ananth Kumar on Wednesday said there will be a separate ministry for pharma and medical devices sector in the next one year, and assured that the government will soon implement the Katoch panel recommendations to cut bulk drugs import from China. I want to see that pharmaceutical   and medical devices become a separate ministry and we are already in touch with PMO and we are pursuing that it becomes a separate ministry. I assure you in next one year you will emerge as a separate entity as pharma and medical devices ministry,” Mr. Kumar said at an event organised by PHD Chamber of Commerce. In the next 100 days, we are going to implement the Katoch committee report for the benefit of the pharma industry. We have already accepted it, it is in circulation. We are having discussions with the PMO also, and to implement some of the recommendations even if we have to go to the Cabinet, we will go,” the Minister said. On the inverted duty structure hampering the pharma and medical devices industries, Mr. Kumar said the government has been following up the issue for the last one-and-a-half years. There is a huge question of FTA and inverted duty structure, which needs to be attempted...I request office-bearers of PHD Chamber of Commerce to come out with a memorandum regarding these inverted duties, which will be discussed with the Finance Ministry itself before the budget, that is an assurance,” he said.