According to a notification issued by the Director General of Foreign Trade (DGFT),  reference No. RE-2011/2009-2014, dated 10.1.2011, bar coding on all Indian pharmaceutical exports as part of a track and trace regime is obligatory with effect from 01 October, 2011.

To facilitate bar code technology among Small and Medium Enterprises, the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) has said it will provide financial assistance to the tune of 75%  of the registration fee that has to be paid by an enterprise to avail of bar coding technology facilities. The fee varies by the number of SKUs (Stock Keeping Units). For the lowest slab,  of less than 100 SKUs, the fee is Rs. 50,000. It increases to Rs. 65,000 for 100 to 1000 SKUs. SMEs in the ayurveda, homeopathy and drug production segments have already sought assistance. Agencies like the MSME Development Institute, Bangalore, the Karnataka Drugs and Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association (KDPMA), and the Karnataka Small Scale Industries Association (KASSIA), have been active in facilitating bar coding implementation among SMEs.

 

SOURCE: IndianIndustriesAssociation