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The state government has invited top Indian pharmaceutical leaders, including Torrent Pharmaceuticals’ Jinal Mehta and Zydus Lifesciences Chairman Pankaj R Patel, to Lucknow for talks.
A key pillar of the state’s med-tech strategy is YEIDA’s Medical Device Park, which the government describes as India’s first integrated center for medical technology innovation.
As Uttar Pradesh has begun to establish itself as a major hub for medical technology and pharmaceutical manufacturing, the state government believes the move could be a game changer for India’s ambition to emerge as a global producer of high-end medical devices and critical medicines.
The push comes at a time when global healthcare supply chains are undergoing a structural reset, with manufacturers actively trying to diversify production away from China under a so-called “China-plus-one” strategy.
Due to the new industry policy, large land availability, UP’s market size and emphasis on export-linked manufacturing, the state is increasing efforts to attract both global equipment manufacturers and domestic pharmaceutical companies.
After announcing the Uttar Pradesh Pharmaceutical and Medical Devices Policy, 2023, which offers a bundle of fiscal incentives along with a one-stop approval window for investors, the state has now stepped up outreach to industry leaders, projecting itself as a long-term manufacturing base for India and global markets.
The timing of the push is important. Geopolitical tensions, pandemic-era disruptions and tight export controls have exposed the vulnerabilities of global reliance on China for medical devices, active pharmaceutical ingredients, pharmaceutical intermediates and key starting materials. Governments and companies in the US, Europe and Japan have since been encouraging suppliers to diversify into manufacturing, creating an opportunity that Uttar Pradesh is now looking to tap.
“As part of this effort, the state, under the leadership of UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, is in talks with global technology companies like Philips and GE Healthcare to promote medical device manufacturing at the Medical Device Park located in Jewar, Uttar Pradesh,” Dr GN Singh, advisor to the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, told News18. Singh is the former Drugs Controller General (India).
“On the other front, we have invited top Indian pharmaceutical leaders – including Jinal Mehta of Torrent Pharmaceuticals, Pankaj R. Patel, Chairman, Zydus Lifesciences, Dilip Shanghvi, Founder, Sun Pharmaceutical, B. Parthasaradhi Reddy, Chairman, Hetero Group, R. C. Juneja of Mankind Pharma and K. Sathish Reddy of Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories, along with a large number of Top representatives of pharma associations will come to Lucknow on February 3 to discuss investment plans and infrastructure requirements.
To further promote international investment, a high-level state delegation is expected to visit Japan in mid-February. Singh, who is assisting in talks between the two countries, said, “The purpose of the visit is to encourage top Japanese manufacturers of high-quality medical devices to use India as a manufacturing and export base, in line with Japan’s own effort to diversify production away from China.” He said the response from Japanese authorities has been “very positive”.
strong health foundation
Industry experts argue that Uttar Pradesh’s pitch for industry is supported by its strong base of healthcare, pharmaceutical and life sciences institutions. Lucknow houses national research centers such as the Central Drug Research Institute (CDRI), Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (CIMAP), Industrial Toxicology Research Center (ITRC) and National Botanical Research Institute (NBRI), while Rae Bareli hosts the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER). Clinical research and medical education infrastructure in the state includes King George Medical University, Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences and Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Institute of Medical Sciences, which officials say can support clinical trials, product validation and skill development.
YEIDA Medical Device Park
A key pillar of the state’s med-tech strategy is YEIDA’s Medical Device Park, which the government describes as India’s first integrated center for medical technology innovation. Spread across 350 acres near Yamuna Expressway, the Medical Device Park has been designed with a focus on high-end and critical care areas.
According to the presentation designed by state government officials seen by News18, cancer care and radiotherapy medical devices form a central focus area, reflecting India’s continued dependence on imports largely from China, the US and Europe for advanced oncology equipment. Manufacturing of radiology and imaging medical equipment is another major emphasis.
Other targeted segments include anesthetics and cardio-respiratory medical devices, implants of all categories and in-vitro diagnostics. According to official data seen by News18, more than 100 units have already been allotted in the Medical Device Park. Of these, three units are in cancer care, 16 in radiology and imaging devices, 23 in implants, 37 in anesthetics and cardio-respiratory devices, and 22 in in-vitro diagnostics.
Cancer care manufacturing in particular is expected to receive additional policy support in the next phase of growth. “Special attention is being given to allocation of cancer care units in the upcoming scheme. Regular stakeholder meetings are held through video conferencing with key players in cancer care to understand the requirements,” Singh said.
Experts believe that if India can demonstrate quality, regulatory compliance and scale, places like Uttar Pradesh can become part of global sourcing strategies.
A med-tech sector analyst at an industry lobby group said the focus on oncology and imaging devices aligns with global supply chain restructuring. “Countries and companies are actively looking for credible alternatives to China for high-value medical devices. If India can demonstrate quality, regulatory compliance and scale, places like Uttar Pradesh can become part of global sourcing strategies,” he said, requesting anonymity. “One of the most prominent features is its location. It is next to Jewar Airport with a dedicated cargo terminal providing freight cargo access.”
According to Rajeev Nath, forum coordinator of AiMeD (Indian Manufacturers of Medical Devices), the industry is grateful for the support given by the “progressive government” of UP, which helped in setting up effective protocols for conducting critical studies and investigations of medical devices that are required on different pathways from clinical trials of drugs and thereafter creating a digital platform to facilitate transparent participation of stakeholders involved in these studies. It is hoped that the pioneering leadership steps will be followed by other states and this is an endorsement of UP’s serious intention to establish itself as a global hub for medical devices.”
Nath believes that the state’s medical device policy and park is loaded with incentives to attract manufacturers that meet the eligibility criteria which were earlier limited to a narrow range of Public Linked Incentive (PLI) eligible medical devices. “We expect this list to be extended to include all consumer medical electronics and GTE (global tender exempt) over 300 medical devices and IVD devices on which India is primarily dependent on imports.”
Bulk Drug Park: Import Substitution Meets Strategic Diversification
In the pharmaceutical sector, after failing to secure a slot under the central government’s Bulk Drug Park scheme, Uttar Pradesh is also moving ahead with plans to develop bulk drug parks using state funding. Instead of backing down, the state has decided to invest its resources to create large-scale parks focused on manufacturing key starting materials, active pharmaceutical ingredients and pharmaceutical intermediates – sectors where India is heavily dependent on imports from China.
In its investor presentation seen by News18, the state claims that the facilities being planned offer a more comprehensive manufacturing ecosystem than established clusters like Jawaharlal Nehru Pharma City in Visakhapatnam and Genome Valley in Telangana. According to the presentation, the proposed parks are designed to provide manufacturers with common testing laboratories, research and development infrastructure, incubation centers and plug-and-play manufacturing units as well as core industrial infrastructure and shared storage.
The state is also offering technical and regulatory assistance, skill development programs and a single-window clearance mechanism, which officials say will help reduce compliance timelines and operational hassles for manufacturers.
“Work is already underway on a 1,500-acre bulk drug park in Lalitpur, which has received environmental clearance and is located in a sparsely populated area. Additionally, the state has identified about 28,000 acres of land in the Bundelkhand region near Jhansi, which can be offered to manufacturers seeking larger parcels, allowing expansion or development of another pharma hub if needed,” Singh said.
“As per current plans, Uttar Pradesh is investing around Rs 2,000 crore in bulk drug parks and between Rs 350 crore to Rs 500 crore in medical technology parks. The state is in a revenue surplus position, which means funding is not a constraint.”
Vishal Manchanda, pharmaceutical analyst at Systematics Group, believes the incentives, infrastructure and broadly the overall value proposition is “attractive”, but focus should also be on building the entire ecosystem.
“Beyond incentives and park infrastructure, it is also relevant to understand whether there is a desired broader ecosystem in terms of human resources or supporting infrastructure that pharma companies will also seek.”
However, he said, companies looking to continually invest in new plants will certainly consider it as a “potential destination.”
Together, the med-tech and bulk drug initiatives signal Uttar Pradesh’s effort to align state-level industrial policy with changing global geopolitics, as India seeks to establish itself as a credible alternative manufacturing destination in the healthcare sector.
24 January 2026, 13:25 IST
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