PCD Pharma Franchise in Punjab | Monopoly Rights, 1,500+ Products

Vibcare Pharma

20/03/20

Ayurvedic PCD Pharma Franchise

Healthcare Business

Punjab Pharma

Updated 24 October 2026
Reviewed by Sudhanshu Singhal
11 min read
12 sources

23districts in Punjab, one Vibcare partner per district

1,500+Vibcare products in 11+ divisions

₹20,000minimum first order

Same daydispatch from Panchkula

Item	Detail
Monopoly	One partner per district, with monopoly rights confirmed in writing
Minimum first order	₹20,000
Product range	1,500+ products in 11+ divisions
Dispatch	Same day from Panchkula
Licences you need	Wholesale drug licence + GST registration
Districts in Punjab	23
Licensing authority in Punjab	Commissionerate of Food and Drugs Administration (Drugs Wing), Government Dispensary Complex, Mohali Stadium Road, Phase 9, Mohali, Dist Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar

Vibcare's franchise terms; whether your district is open is confirmed when you enquire.

Why Punjab for a PCD pharma franchise

Punjab is a state of 27,743,338 people as per the final Census 2011 figures, spread over 23 districts and 5 revenue divisions, and it has a large network of public health facilities and retail chemists. The state's own Economic and Statistical Organisation projects the population at 31,597,883 on 1 March 2021, which is about 38.5 lakh more people than in 2011. For a distributor or a new entrepreneur, that means many separate district markets, each with its own chemists, hospitals and prescribers.

Healthcare facilities and reach

Punjab government statistics give the following position for public health institutions (as on 01-04-2011, from the state's statistics office):

91 hospitals
130 community health centres
444 primary health centres
1,412 dispensaries
529 Ayurvedic and Unani institutions and 111 homeopathic institutions
21,504 beds installed in allopathic institutions
12,581 inhabited villages; the state is 62.51% rural and 37.49% urban (provisional Census 2011)

The National Medical Commission's seat matrix for the academic year 2026-27 shows 12 medical colleges in Punjab — 5 government and 7 private — with 1,850 MBBS seats in total. Colleges are located at Mohali, Ludhiana, Amritsar, Patiala, Faridkot, Bathinda and Jalandhar, among other places, so trained prescribers are present across the state.

Pharma activity

Invest India's Punjab page, updated in June 2026, lists pharmaceuticals among the state's focus sectors. Mohali, home of the state's drug licensing authority, sits next to Vibcare's corporate office in Panchkula.

Districts in Punjab for a Vibcare franchise

Vibcare appoints one franchise partner per district in Punjab, with monopoly rights confirmed in writing, and availability of a district is confirmed only when you enquire. Punjab has 23 districts in all — 22 were listed by the state's statistics office at the 2011 Census, and Malerkotla became the 23rd after Cabinet approval on 2 June 2021.

Full list of Punjab's 23 districts

The names below follow the spellings used by the Punjab Economic and Statistical Organisation, with Malerkotla added as the 23rd district. Some spellings vary in common use (for example Firozpur/Ferozepur, Rupnagar/Ropar, S.A.S. Nagar/Mohali).

Amritsar
Barnala
Bathinda
Faridkot
Fatehgarh Sahib
Fazilka
Firozpur
Gurdaspur
Hoshiarpur
Jalandhar
Kapurthala
Ludhiana
Malerkotla
Mansa
Moga
Pathankot
Patiala
Rupnagar
Sangrur
S.A.S. Nagar (Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar, Mohali)
S.B.S. Nagar (Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar, Nawanshahr)
Shri Muktsar Sahib
Tarn Taran

Source: Punjab Economic and Statistical Organisation, "Population Statistics of Punjab 1971-2011" (22 districts), and the Punjab Cabinet approval of Malerkotla on 2 June 2021. The state's Basic Statistics sheet notes that Ludhiana is the most populous and most dense district, Barnala the least populous, and Mansa the least dense.

Drug licence for a PCD franchise in Punjab

Anyone who stocks or sells medicines in Punjab needs a drug sale licence, and for a PCD pharma franchise that normally means a wholesale licence in Form 20B and, if you handle Schedule C and C(1) drugs, Form 21B (Schedule X wholesale has its own licence, Form 20G). The rules are the central Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945, and they apply in Punjab as in every other state.

Who issues the licence in Punjab

The State Licensing Authority for Punjab is the Commissionerate of Food and Drugs Administration (Drugs Wing), whose address in the CDSCO directory of state licensing authorities (updated 10.04.2024) is Government Dispensary Complex, Mohali Stadium Road, Phase 9, Mohali, Dist Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar. The designation shown is Joint Commissioner and State Licensing Authority. Punjab's drug licensing portal is xln.punjab.gov.in, run by the Department of Drugs Control, Punjab, on the XLN software; it offers login for registered users, licence and firm verification and notifications.

Forms, fee and documents

Under Rule 59(2) of the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945, the application is made in Form 19 with a fee of ₹1,500. A wholesale licence is issued in Form 20B for drugs other than Schedules C, C(1) and X, and in Form 21B for Schedule C and C(1) drugs, excluding Schedule X (Schedule X wholesale is Form 20G). A separate application and a separate licence are needed for each place where drugs are stocked or sold (Rule 62).

Form 19 asks for the premises address, whether the business is wholesale or retail, the categories of drugs to be sold and any special storage accommodation required. On demand, the applicant must give documentary evidence of ownership or occupation of the premises and of the constitution of the firm (Rule 65A).

Premises and competent person

Rule 64 sets the conditions for grant of a wholesale licence, and they are the same in Punjab as elsewhere:

The premises must be adequate and equipped with proper storage accommodation for preserving the properties of the drugs.
For a Form 20B or Form 21B licence alone, the premises must be at least 10 square metres. If a retail licence (Form 20/21) and a wholesale licence are taken together, the area must be at least 15 square metres.
The premises must be in the charge of a competent person who is a Registered Pharmacist, or has passed matriculation with four years' experience in dealing in the sale of drugs, or holds a university degree with one year's experience in dealing with drugs.
If you are aggrieved by the licensing authority's order, an appeal lies to the State Government within 30 days (Rule 64(3)).

Online application and validity

Punjab's drug licensing work runs on the XLN portal at xln.punjab.gov.in. The national ONDLS platform at statedrugs.gov.in handles sale-licence Forms 19, 19B, 19AA and 19C for onboarded states; the Punjab portal shows the current filing route.

Since the 2017 amendment (G.S.R. 1337(E) of 27.10.2017), a sale licence remains valid perpetually, provided the licensee deposits the licence retention fee — equal to the grant fee — before the end of every five years. A late payment carries 2 per cent of the licence fee per month for up to six months, after which the licence is deemed cancelled, and every licensed premises is inspected at least once in three years or on a risk basis.

GST registration

GST registration is separate from the drug licence, and Vibcare asks partners to hold it before starting. Under the CGST Act 2017, registration is compulsory whatever the turnover for anyone making inter-State taxable supplies; for a supplier of goods only, the threshold is ₹40 lakh (Notification No. 10/2019-Central Tax).

What you get with a Vibcare franchise

Vibcare Pharma offers PCD pharma franchise terms built around district monopoly, a wide product range and quick dispatch:

Monopoly in writing: one franchise partner per district, with monopoly rights confirmed in writing.
Product range: 1,500+ products in 11+ divisions.
Minimum first order: ₹20,000.
Dispatch: orders are dispatched the same day from Panchkula.
Manufacturing: tablets, capsules, oral liquids and external preparations are made at group company Vibcare Healthcare's own WHO-GMP certified plant in Panchkula; injectables, eye drops, Ayurvedic and beta-lactam products are made at partner WHO-GMP certified units.
Certification: Vibcare Pharma is ISO 9001:2015 certified.
Partners: 5,000+ franchise partners.
Company base: corporate office at Plot No 4, HSIIDC IT Park, Sector 22, Panchkula, Haryana 134109 — next to Mohali and Chandigarh, so Punjab partners are close to the company.

Product ranges you can take

A Vibcare partner can choose from 13 therapy franchise ranges alongside the full 1,500+ product catalogue, so you can build your district business around the therapies your doctors already prescribe.

You can also browse the full catalogue at vibcare.co.in/products.

How to start a Vibcare PCD franchise in Punjab

Starting is a short, defined process, and the first step is simply to ask whether your district is open.

Enquire with your district. Send your enquiry through vibcare.co.in/pcd-franchise, naming the district in Punjab where you want to work.
District availability is confirmed. Vibcare appoints one partner per district, so the team confirms whether your district is open before anything else.
Get your wholesale drug licence and GST registration. Apply for the licence in Form 19 with the Punjab licensing authority and complete GST registration, which Vibcare asks every partner to hold.
Sign the agreement. The franchise agreement records your district monopoly rights in writing.
Place your first order of ₹20,000 or more. This is Vibcare's minimum first order.
Same-day dispatch. Orders are dispatched the same day from Panchkula, which is next to Mohali and Chandigarh.

Frequently asked questions

How do I get a wholesale drug licence in Punjab?

Apply to the Punjab State Licensing Authority in Form 19 with the fee of ₹1,500 stated in Rule 59(2) of the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945. The licence issued is Form 20B for drugs other than Schedules C, C(1) and X, and Form 21B for Schedule C and C(1) drugs, excluding Schedule X. Your premises must be at least 10 square metres and in the charge of a competent person. Punjab's licensing portal is xln.punjab.gov.in.

Where is the drug licensing office in Punjab?

The State Licensing Authority is the Commissionerate of Food and Drugs Administration (Drugs Wing), Government Dispensary Complex, Mohali Stadium Road, Phase 9, Mohali, Dist Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar, as listed in the CDSCO directory of state licensing authorities updated on 10.04.2024. Punjab's drug licensing portal is xln.punjab.gov.in.

How many districts are there in Punjab?

Punjab has 23 districts. Twenty-two were listed by the state's Economic and Statistical Organisation at the 2011 Census, and Malerkotla became the 23rd district after the Punjab Cabinet approved its creation on 2 June 2021, carved out of Sangrur. Vibcare appoints one franchise partner per district in the state.

Is Punjab a good market for a PCD pharma franchise?

Punjab had 27,743,338 people as per the final Census 2011 figures, and the state's own projection puts the population at 31,597,883 on 1 March 2021. The state has 23 districts, a network of public health facilities that included 91 hospitals, 130 community health centres, 444 primary health centres and 1,412 dispensaries as on 01-04-2011, 12 medical colleges with 1,850 MBBS seats for the academic year 2026-27. Each of the 23 districts is a separate market, and Vibcare's corporate office in Panchkula is next door to Mohali, so Punjab partners are supplied from close by.

Is a drug licence needed for a PCD pharma franchise?

Yes, if you stock or sell medicines. Section 18(c) of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, bars any person from selling, stocking, exhibiting, offering for sale or distributing a drug except under a licence, and the Act and Rules do not make an exception for a PCD or franchise arrangement. The only named exemption is the free distribution of samples of medicines to the medical profession and institutions by travelling agents of licensed manufacturers (Rule 62A(c)).

Which licence is needed — retail or wholesale?

It depends on whom you sell to: under Rule 2(g), sale to a person for the purpose of selling again is wholesale dealing, and that needs a licence in Form 20B or Form 21B. If you sell to chemists and stockists for resale, you are dealing wholesale. A Form 20B licence does not permit sale to a person without the requisite licence, except to government buyers, hospitals and institutions, registered medical practitioners for their patients and certain manufacturers.

What are the qualifications for a wholesale drug licence?

Under Rule 64 of the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945, the premises must be in the charge of a competent person who is a Registered Pharmacist, or has passed matriculation with four years' experience in dealing in the sale of drugs, or holds a degree of a recognised university with one year's experience in dealing with drugs. The licensing authority must be satisfied that the person is competent to supervise and control the sale, distribution and preservation of drugs.

What is the investment for a PCD pharma franchise in Punjab with Vibcare?

Vibcare's minimum first order is ₹20,000, and orders are dispatched the same day from Panchkula. Apart from that, you need a wholesale drug licence, for which the fee stated in the central Drugs and Cosmetics Rules is ₹1,500 per Form 19 application, plus GST registration. Margins and the full franchise terms are shared when you enquire.

Does Vibcare give monopoly rights in Punjab?

Yes. Vibcare appoints one franchise partner per district in Punjab, and monopoly rights are confirmed in writing in the franchise agreement. Whether a particular district is open is confirmed on enquiry at vibcare.co.in/pcd-franchise.

Sources

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About this article. Written by the Vibcare Pharma team from the sources listed above and reviewed by Sudhanshu Singhal, Director & Co-Founder, Vibcare Pharma. Figures are as published on the dates shown. Medical information here is general information, not a substitute for advice from a doctor.

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PCD Pharma Franchise in Punjab: Districts, Drug Licence and Vibcare Terms (2026)