3-Year Delay in NOCs for 140 Proposed Pharmacy Colleges in Bihar, Health Committee Steps In

New Delhi: The Health Committee of the Bihar Legislative Council has decided to take up the issue of inordinate delays in granting no-objection certificates (NOCs) to 140 proposed pharmacy colleges, which have reportedly been awaiting clearance from the state health department for more than three years.

Committee chairperson Awadhesh Narain Singh announced the move on Friday, following mounting concerns over the prolonged pendency.

As per the news reported by the Health Panel, the decision came after over a dozen members voiced strong displeasure over the response given by minister-in-charge Lakhendra Kumar Roshan to a call-attention motion tabled by BJP MLC Anil Kumar. Members expressed dissatisfaction, stating that the explanation failed to adequately justify the delay in processing the applications.

While raising the matter in the House, Anil Kumar called for action against the health department official allegedly responsible for keeping the NOCs pending for the last three years. He contended that the prolonged delay had forced several aspiring students to seek admission to pharmacy institutions outside Bihar due to the lack of adequate opportunities within the state.

JD(U) MLC Neeraj Kumar stated that had the approvals been granted on time, nearly 22,000 students could have pursued pharmacy education within Bihar itself. He further pointed out that eligible candidates might also have availed financial support under the state’s student credit card scheme.

Kumar demanded disclosure of the identity of the official accountable for the delay and questioned why disciplinary proceedings had not yet been initiated, the Hindustan Times reported.

In a separate development, responding to a query raised by JD(U) MLC Dr Sanjeev Kumar Singh, state education minister Sunil Kumar informed the House that necessary modifications would be introduced to the “e-Shiksha Kosh” education portal. The changes are intended to ensure that Sundays and other officially declared holidays occurring between periods of casual leave are not treated as leave days for employees.