Kamlesh Kumar Pant appointed new NPPA chairman

NPPA is the agency in-charge of monitoring pharmaceutical pricing (Representative image)

Kamlesh Kumar Pant, a 1993-batch IAS officer of Himachal Pradesh cadre, has been appointed as the new chairman of National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) by the Appointments Committee of the Union Cabinet.

The pharmaceutical pricing agency was currently headed by IAS officer Shubhra Singh, who was appointed to the post in 2018. Singh has been repatriated to her cadre state Rajasthan, according to an order of the personnel ministry.

Pant, formerly the Principal Secretary (Revenue) in the government of Himachal Pradesh and also the Financial Commisioner (Appeals) at Himachal Pradesh and the head of the Himachal Pradesh State Pollution Control Board, has taken charge of NPPA with immediate effect.

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Pant has to tackle a number of challenges like ensuring the availability of essential drugs, vaccine and other medical supplies at affordable prices in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

During the outbreak of COVID-19 in India, the NPPA had to take quick decision in order to maintain the prices of medical supplies like face mask, pulse oximeter, blood pressure monitoring machine, nebulizer, digital thermometer and glucometers.

The medical regulator also had to invoke extraordinary powers in public interest to ensure that policy enhances access to life saving drugs like Heparin as well as medical oxygen during the ongoing pandemic.

Meanwhile, the Appointments Committee also announced new additional secretaries in various ministries and departments.

Amrit Lal Meena has been appointed as Additional Secretary (Logistics), Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, while Sudhir Garg and Jayant Sinha have been appointed as Additional Secretary, National Disaster Management Authority and Additional Secretary & Financial Advisor, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, respectively.