India, May 3 -- In a move aimed at curbing the unchecked expansion of pharmacy colleges, the Maharashtra government has formally urged the Pharmacy Council of India (PCI) to halt approvals for new institutions in the state for the next five years. The demand stems from a sharp rise in unfilled seats and growing apprehension over the quality of education in existing colleges.

The situation has reached a critical point. In the 2024-25 academic year alone, over 26,000 seats in pharmacy courses remained vacant - 14,000 in Bachelor of Pharmacy (B Pharmacy) programmes and 12,400 in Diploma in Pharmacy (D Pharmacy) courses.

During a recent visit to Delhi, Higher and Technical Education Minister Chandrakant Patil, accompanied by senior official...