A state directorate is about to put generic veterinary medicines into 375 outlets across West Bengal. In explaining why, its own officials have made a pointed allegation about how pet medicines are currently sold.
What has been announced
West Bengal is set to establish around 375 fair price medicine shops for pet animals and birds, to be run by the Directorate of Animal Resources and Animal Health under the state’s Animal Resources Development Department.
The shops are called Pashu Aushadhi Vikray Kendras (PAVKs), and they form part of the Union Government’s Livestock Health and Disease Control Programme (LHDCP). The department has issued a notification to this effect.
The rollout is structured in three tiers:
| Level | Number of outlets |
|---|---|
| Main unit, Kolkata | 1 |
| District level | 30 |
| Block level | 344 |
| Total | 375 |
Some outlets may be rolled out after Puja, according to state officials.
A senior official of the directorate described the model directly:
“This is a central govt scheme that is being implemented in Bengal. These medicine shops will be modelled on ‘Jan Aushadhi kendras’ where people get medicines at cheaper prices. We may increase the number of these shops in the future.”
Sellers will receive a 20% margin on generic medicines, and ₹1.5 lakh in financial assistance is available to encourage establishment of PAVKs.
What a PAVK actually is
The comparison to Jan Aushadhi is precise rather than loose. The scheme is built on the same logic and, significantly, the same supply chain.
Under the national framework, medicines sold at PAVKs are supplied exclusively by the Pharmaceutical and Medical Devices Bureau of India (PMBI) — the same body that supplies Jan Aushadhi Kendras for human medicines.
The aim is straightforward: generic veterinary medicines are not easily available across much of India, and where they are, pricing is inconsistent. A dedicated outlet network puts affordable generics within reach of people who currently have no realistic alternative to branded products.
Ethno-veterinary products and certified animal feeds are also permitted at these outlets.
Who can open one
This is the part missing from most coverage, and it matters for anyone in the pet or livestock sector considering an application.
Under the national scheme, applicants must have:
- At least 120 square feet of space, owned or rented
- A registered pharmacist holding a B.Pharm or D.Pharm degree
- A valid drug sale licence from the State Drug Control Authority
Only one Kendra is permitted per revenue block, with preference given to areas with large livestock populations. That restriction explains Bengal’s distribution of 344 outlets at block level.
Nationally, PAVKs are opened through registered Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samridhi Kendras (PM-KSKs) and cooperative societies. West Bengal’s rollout is being run through the state directorate, which is a structural difference worth noting for anyone tracking how the scheme is being implemented across states.
One caution on the ₹1.5 lakh. Under the national scheme, a one-time incentive of this amount is specified for centres opened in aspirational districts, hilly areas, islands and the northeastern states. Whether West Bengal is applying it more broadly, or only in qualifying districts, is worth confirming with the department before anyone budgets around it.
The allegation officials have made
The most striking element of this announcement is not the number of shops. It is the reason officials have given for needing them.
ARD officials pointed out that PAVKs would restrict the nexus, often found between some pet clinics and pharmaceutical companies manufacturing veterinary medicines.
A department insider went further, telling IANS:
“Once these fair price medicine shops are operative, such alleged scams will automatically get restricted, and pet owners will benefit as they will be relieved of purchasing branded medicines at exorbitant prices.”
This is a state department publicly alleging a commercial arrangement between some veterinary clinics and pharmaceutical manufacturers that results in pet owners paying more than they need to.
Two things need stating clearly. First, these are allegations made by unnamed officials, not findings from any investigation, and no clinic or company has been named. Second, the word used is “some” — this is not a blanket characterisation of veterinary practice in West Bengal or anywhere else.
But it is an unusual thing for a government department to say on the record while announcing a scheme, and it tells you what problem the department believes it is solving.
The pet owner side of this was voiced by Jayita Sarkar, a Kolkata-based pet owner quoted by IANS:
“Often, we have to purchase medicines and vaccines for our pets, especially rabies vaccines for our puppies, at exorbitant prices since the veterinary doctors only prescribe branded medicines at premium prices.”
That is one person’s experience rather than evidence of a pattern. It is also a sentiment that will be familiar to a very large number of Indian pet parents.
Why rabies vaccines are the example everyone reaches for
It is not coincidental that the pet owner quoted above named rabies vaccination specifically.
Rabies vaccination is not optional. It is a public health requirement as much as an animal health one, it is needed annually for the life of the animal, and in a country with India’s rabies burden it is the single most important veterinary intervention most pets will ever receive.
That makes it exactly the kind of product where price is not a matter of consumer choice. A household that cannot afford the vaccine does not substitute a cheaper brand. It skips the vaccination.
Any mechanism that reduces the cost of essential, repeat veterinary products has a public health dimension beyond household budgets.
The part that will decide whether this works
Announcing 375 outlets is the easy part. Three things will determine whether they make a difference.
Does PMBI’s veterinary catalogue cover what pets actually need? A fair price shop is only useful if it stocks the products people are being prescribed. The catalogue’s breadth across companion animal medicines, as against livestock products, is the first practical question.
Will vets prescribe generically? This is the crux. A PAVK can stock an affordable generic, but if the prescription in the owner’s hand names a specific brand, the shop cannot substitute it. Generic prescribing by name of molecule rather than brand is what makes a generic channel function — and that is a question of prescribing practice, not retail availability.
How many of the 375 actually open, and how quickly? This is where Indian schemes most often fall down, and PNN has covered enough examples this year. Delhi was ordered to create designated dog feeding points in every ward; a ground inspection found 14 of 292 functional. Announcements are not outlets.
The bigger picture for India’s pet industry
Place this alongside what else is happening in Indian companion animal pharmaceuticals and an interesting picture emerges.
In September, Zenex Animal Health, backed by Multiples Alternate Asset Management, completed its acquisition of SAVAVET, SAVA Healthcare’s companion animal business — Zenex’s third acquisition since 2021. The branded end of the market is consolidating into fewer, larger, institutionally backed players.
At the same time, a state government is building a generic retail channel explicitly designed to give pet owners an alternative to branded products.
Those two trends pull in opposite directions, and both are happening right now. For India’s pet parents, the question over the next few years is which one reaches them first — a more consolidated branded market, or a functioning generic one.
What pet owners in West Bengal should know
Ask about generics. Whether or not a PAVK has opened near you, it is reasonable to ask your vet whether a generic equivalent exists for what has been prescribed, and what the price difference is.
Generic does not mean inferior. PMBI operates a multi-tier quality control process for the products it supplies, including batch-level sampling. Generic medicines contain the same active molecule as their branded equivalents.
But do not switch medication on your own. A generic substitution is a clinical decision, particularly for an animal already stabilised on a treatment. Discuss it with your vet rather than making the swap yourself.
And watch for the first openings. The department has indicated some outlets may follow Puja. Where they open first, and whether they stock companion animal products rather than only livestock medicines, will be the early test.
A note on reporting: Details of the West Bengal rollout are as reported by The Times of India and IANS, 11–12 October 2026. Allegations regarding arrangements between clinics and pharmaceutical companies are as stated by unnamed officials of the Animal Resources Development Department; no individual clinic, veterinarian or company has been named, and no investigation findings have been published. Scheme eligibility criteria are from the national PAVK framework under the Livestock Health and Disease Control Programme.
Sources
- The Times of India, “State set to launch 375 fair price vet med shops,” 12 October 2026
- IANS, “Bengal to soon have 375 fair price medicine shops for pet animals, birds,” 11 October 2026
- Pashu Aushadhi Vikray Kendra portal, Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Government of India
- Reporting on national PAVK eligibility criteria and PMBI supply arrangements
- Pradhan Mantri Bharatiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana, on PMBI quality control processes
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