Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Wednesday urged Health and Family Welfare Minister J P Nadda to set up a National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER) in Odisha. The Sambalpur MP wrote to Nadda, highlighting that such an initiative would greatly benefit the pharmaceutical and biotech sectors across Eastern India. In his letter, Pradhan emphasised that the Odisha Bio-Tech Park in Bhubaneswar is the first-of-its-kind in Eastern India, offering key resources like water, electricity, effluent treatment, and other essential facilities needed to support biotechnology industries. He described it as an ideal location for the establishment of NIPER. Pradhan also pointed out that the proposed NIPER would help bridge gaps in pharmaceutical education and research, foster innovation, and create a skilled workforce, ultimately boosting India`s global competitiveness in the pharmaceutical industry. Moreover, Pradhan noted that setting up NIPER in Odisha would support the production-linked incentive scheme in the pharmaceutical sector and contribute to the goals of Atmanirbhar Bharat. Pradhan urged Nadda to consider Odisha as the next location for NIPER, which would be a significant step forward in advancing pharmaceutical education and research in the country. PTI AAM AAM MNB 12111732