Pharmacy Council of India

What Pharmacy Council of India does

The Pharmacy Council of India (PCI) is a statutory regulatory body constituted on August 9, 1949 under the Pharmacy Act, 1948, working under the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India, with its headquarters in New Delhi. Its mandate is to regulate pharmacy education and the pharmacy profession nationwide: it approves pharmacy courses and institutions, conducts inspections, prescribes minimum faculty qualifications, sets curricula for D.Pharm, B.Pharm, M.Pharm, Pharm.D, and B.Pharm (Practice) programmes, and maintains the Central Register of Pharmacists in coordination with 37 State Pharmacy Councils. PCI oversees approximately 5,000 pharmacy colleges across India and is the sole national authority empowered to recognize pharmacy qualifications and grant pharmacist registration under the Act.

PCI operates a small central secretariat (17 permanent and 22 contractual staff per public disclosures) and runs its regulatory functions through a digital stack anchored by the DIGI-PHARMed portal (launched January 2023) and the National Pharmacists Registration Tracking System (NPRTS), a centralized web-based platform covering institute, faculty, student, inspector, and pharmacist registration workflows. Supporting mobile applications include the PCI Inspection App and a Digital Sign App available on Google Play. Cybersecurity and system integration for NPRTS were awarded to DEV Information Technology under a Rs 26 crore fixed-cost contract routed via NICSI in April 2026. PCI also mandates Aadhaar-based biometric attendance for M.Pharm students to safeguard scholarship integrity.

PCI is funded by Central Government budget allocation for operating costs (salaries, travel, inspector honoraria, contingencies) supplemented by inspection fees, affiliation fees, and Pharmacy Education Regulatory Charges collected from pharmacy institutions. It does not sell commercial products or services and does not publicly disclose revenue. Strategic direction is set by the President and Vice-President, currently Dr. Montu M. Patel and Prof. (Dr.) Pramod Yeole, supported by a Registrar-cum-Secretary. Recent activity has emphasized digital modernization, AI integration in curriculum, and stricter enforcement against fake faculty and unapproved colleges.

Name

Pharmacy Council of India

Legal name

Pharmacy Council of India

Website

https://pci.nic.in

Company type

Private

Founded year

1949

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

The Pharmacy Council of India is the statutory regulator of pharmacy education and profession in India under the Pharmacy Act, 1948, approving courses at approximately 5,000 pharmacy colleges and maintaining the Central Register of Pharmacists via its DIGI-PHARMed and NPRTS platforms.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Pharmacy Education Regulation

akta.pro primary industry

Controlled Substances & Pharmacy Regulation Authorities (HLAJACAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Healthcare Licensing, Accreditation & Credentialing Boards (HLAJACAC)

Keywords

• Pharmacy education regulation
• Pharmacist registration
• Institutional approval
• Education standards
• Pharmacy inspection

Headquarters

HQ city

New Delhi

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Regulatory Fees and Charges: PCI collects inspection fees, affiliation fees, and Pharmacy Education Regulatory Charges from pharmacy institutions seeking approval. From academic year 2019-2020, applications are accepted online only with regulatory charges submitted digitally.
2. Government Budget Allocation: Annual budget allocated by the Central Government for the functioning of the statutory body, covering salaries, travel expenses, honorarium to inspectors, and contingencies.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Pharmacy Council of India is the statutory regulator of pharmacy education and the pharmacy profession in India, constituted under the Pharmacy Act, 1948. It approves pharmacy courses and institutions, conducts inspections, prescribes curricula for D.Pharm, B.Pharm, M.Pharm, Pharm.D, and B.Pharm (Practice) programmes, and maintains the Central Register of Pharmacists through 37 affiliated State Pharmacy Councils. It also issues continuing education guidelines, faculty qualification standards, and enforces compliance across approximately 5,000 pharmacy colleges nationwide.

Product overview

Pharmacy Council of India operates primarily through the DIGI-PHARMed portal as its central digital platform, which encompasses multiple modules for institutional management including institute corner, faculty corner, student corner, and inspector corner functionalities. The National Pharmacists Registration Tracking System (NPRTS) handles pharmacists registration workflows. PCI also provides mobile applications (Inspection App and Digital Sign App) for field operations, and maintains a Job Portal for recruitment. All systems operate under the regulatory framework of the Pharmacy Act, 1948.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• DIGI-PHARMed Portal Centralized web-based platform for PCI's digital operations including institute corner, faculty corner, student corner, inspector corner, and pharmacists registration tracking services. Used by pharmacy institutions to submit applications, track approvals, upload compliance documents, and manage inspection processes.
• National Pharmacists Registration Tracking System (NPRTS) Web-based centralized platform for tracking pharmacist registration under the Pharmacy Council of India, developed by Dev Information Technology (DEVIT) under a Rs 26 crore fixed-cost contract from NICSI. It covers design, development, system integration, maintenance, and cybersecurity implementation.
• PCI Inspection App Android mobile application available on Google Play Store for PCI inspectors to conduct and manage institutional inspections, supporting documentation and digital workflows in the field.
• Digital Sign App Android mobile application for digital signature functionality supporting PCI's document authentication processes in approvals and inspections.
• PCI Job Portal Online portal for recruitment and job postings within the Pharmacy Council of India.
• Pharmacy Education Regulatory Services Statutory regulatory services including approval of pharmacy courses and institutions, inspections, curriculum regulation, faculty qualification standards, and exit examinations for D.Pharm, B.Pharm, M.Pharm, Pharm.D, and B.Pharm (Practice) programmes.
• Central Register of Pharmacists Centralized registration of pharmacists across India, including initial registration, renewals, transfers, migration of registration across states, additional qualification entries, and Good Standing Certificate issuance, coordinated through 37 State Pharmacy Councils.

Quantifiable outcome

• Digital platforms like DIGI-PHARMed and NPRTS enable paperless processing of institution approvals and pharmacist registration tracking

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• National Informatics Centre Services Incorporated (NICSI)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 10 April 2026NICSI awarded DEVIT a Rs 26 crore contract on behalf of PCI for the National Pharmacists Registration Tracking System (NPRTS). The project covers design, development, system integration, maintenance, and cybersecurity implementation of a centralized web-based platform for pharmacist registration across India.
• DEV Information Technology (DEVIT)coreTechnology or Integration · 10 April 2026DEVIT secured Rs 26 crore fixed-cost order from NICSI for NPRTS development under PCI. The project will be executed over approximately three years, providing medium-term revenue visibility and establishing technology infrastructure for national pharmacist registration tracking.
• Andhra UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 February 2026PCI collaboration with Andhra University for the 'Anveshan' programme, a research and skill development initiative in pharmacy education. AU will open its laboratories to students from affiliated colleges for summer internship programmes under this initiative.
• Shri Ramswaroop Memorial UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSRMU earned PCI approval for pharmacy programmes for 2026-27 academic session. The university has built industry partnerships with L&T EduTech, Tata Motors, IBM, IEEE, and NPTEL that integrate certifications and practical training into its pharmacy curriculum.
• GITAM Deemed to be UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGITAM announced integration of AI and ML components into its pharmacy curriculum following PCI guidelines. The updated B.Pharm syllabus includes 'Artificial Intelligence & Python Programming for Pharmacy' with modules on formulation development, molecular modelling, and drug safety.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• National Medical Commission: Statutory body that regulates medical education and the medical profession in India, replacing the erstwhile Medical Council of India. Directly comparable to PCI in mandate, structure, and regulatory role over a parallel healthcare education vertical.
• Dental Council of India: Statutory body that regulates dental education, the dental profession, and maintenance of the Dentists Register in India. Directly comparable in function, scale, and statutory authority to PCI within the dental education vertical.
• Indian Nursing Council: Statutory body that regulates nursing education and the nursing profession in India, including approval of institutions and maintenance of a central register. Directly comparable to PCI in scope and operating model for a parallel healthcare vertical.
• National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE): Statutory body responsible for carrying out the planned and coordinated development of teacher education in India. Comparable in mandate, statutory authority, and institution-approval operating model to PCI.
• Bar Council of India: Statutory body that regulates the legal profession and legal education in India, including approval of law colleges and maintenance of advocates' rolls. Operates a parallel professional-regulator model to PCI across a different profession.
• National Commission for Homoeopathy: Statutory body regulating homoeopathic medical education and practice in India. Closely comparable to PCI as a small, specialized professional regulator covering a parallel healthcare education vertical.
• National Commission for Indian System of Medicine (NCISM): Statutory body regulating education and practice of Indian systems of medicine (Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha, Sowa-Rigpa). Directly comparable to PCI in scope, structure, and regulatory authority over a parallel healthcare education vertical.

Broad incumbents

• All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE): Statutory body that approves and regulates technical education institutions and programmes across India. Broader scope than PCI but operates a similar approval-inspection-compliance model for affiliated institutions, including many pharmacy colleges.

Regional players

• General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC): Independent regulator for pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, and pharmacies in Great Britain. Operates the same function as PCI (registration, education standards, fitness-to-practise enforcement) but in a different geography, making it a strong functional peer.
• National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP): US-based association that supports state pharmacy boards in license verification, accredited programmes, and pharmacist mobility across the United States. Functionally comparable to PCI as a national-level pharmacy regulator and credentialing body, though operated as an association rather than a statutory body.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/President_PCI
• Facebookfacebook.com/pharmacycouncilofindia
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pharmacy-council-of-india

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Pharmacy Council of India