Alarmed by the influx of drug stores backed by big corporates and chains of shops that sell medicines at discounted rates, traditional retail outlets in the State are planning to form local consortiums and adopt latest technology to retain their businesses.
The All-Kerala Chemists and Druggists Association (AKCDA), the biggest organisation representing retail drug shops, believes that corporate-backed stores will hit the prospects of its members. This could also render thousands of people in the wholesale and retail sectors jobless.
A.N. Mohan, president, AKCDA, said in a letter to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan that the Health department and the State Drugs Controller’s office were found to be helping monopolistic foreign and domestic companies to freely operate in the State. The association alleged that such companies were being given licenses without following norms.
