Chemists across the country will observe a one-day shutdown on May 20 following a call given by the All India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists (AIOCD), with around 12.5 lakh medicine traders expected to participate in the nationwide agitation. Office-bearers of the Raipur District Chemists and Druggists Association (RDCDA) said the protest is being organised over several long-pending issues concerning medicine traders, including demands for stricter regulation of online medicine sales, protection of traders’ interests and reforms in rules governing pharmaceutical trade. RDCDA President Vinay Kriplani, Senior Vice-president Ashwini Vig and Secretary Sanjay Kumar Rawat, in a joint statement, said growing misuse of doctors’ prescriptions through online platforms and messaging applications such as WhatsApp has emerged as a serious concern. They stated that medicines capable of being abused as intoxicants are allegedly being supplied illegally through unregulated channels, posing risks to society and particularly to youth.

 

The office-bearers said stronger monitoring mechanisms and effective regulatory systems are necessary to check unauthorised medicine distribution and misuse of prescription drugs. They maintained that concerns linked to irregular online trade and illegal supply chains require urgent intervention at policy and enforcement levels. As part of the agitation, medicine traders from Raipur district will assemble at the Medical Complex in Raipur at 11 am on May 20 before jointly submitting a memorandum addressed to the Prime Minister through the District Collector and the Drugs Controller, Chhattisgarh. The association has appealed to all chemists in the district to keep their establishments closed during the one-day shutdown and avoid calling staff members to their shops. RDCDA mandarins said the protest has also received support from the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) and the Chhattisgarh Chamber of Commerce and Industries (CCCI). Association representatives expressed confidence that traders would participate collectively in the agitation while highlighting issues linked to both trade interests and public safety concerns.