Health Ministry Proposes New Import Gateways for Drugs

The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has put out a draft amendment to the Drugs Rules, 1945 that would widen the list of places at which drugs, medical devices and cosmetics may lawfully enter India. The notice was issued on 3 November 2026 and objections are invited before the change is made final.

What Rule 43A does

Rule 43A is the provision that names the authorised entry points for imported drugs, covering ports, airports, railway stations, road crossings and other such locations. A consignment arriving anywhere outside that list cannot be cleared. The Ministry now wants to add a group of inland container depots (ICDs), one special economic zone and one international airport, so that importers can take delivery nearer to where the goods are actually needed.

The locations proposed

• Haryana: ICD Sonipat, ICD Piyala and ICD Harsaru
• Uttar Pradesh: ICD Dadri, and Noida International Airport for drugs brought in by air
• Gujarat: ICD Gandhidham/Mundra
• Telangana: ICD Sanath Nagar and ICD Thimmapur, both at Hyderabad
• Karnataka: ICD Whitefield in Bengaluru and SEZ Bommasandra

These would join the gateways already notified, among them the inland container depots at Dhannad and Tihi near Indore in Madhya Pradesh and the airports cleared earlier for medicine imports.

Why the change is proposed

The reasoning is practical. When a consignment clears at a point close to the factory, warehouse or distribution centre it is headed for, the inland journey shortens, transport costs come down and the goods reach the market with less delay. The Ministry presents the step as part of its work on ease of doing business and on a supply chain steady enough to keep essential medicines and devices available on time across different parts of the country.

What happens next

The draft notification has been published in the Official Gazette. Objections and suggestions may be sent to the Under Secretary (Drugs Regulation) at the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in Kartavya Bhawan-1, New Delhi, or by email to the drugs division. The amended rule will take effect only after that consultation closes.