MUMBAI, Feb. 3 -- India's push to become a global hub for drug development faces a basic constraint: the country does not have enough standardized, trial-ready hospitals and clinics to scale up to meet anticipated demand.

The government's plan to build a national network of more than 1,000 accredited clinical trial sites, announced on 1 February in the Union Budget for 2026-27 under the Biopharma Shakti scheme, is designed to tackle that gap.

The proposal targets a critical bottleneck in India's clinical-research ambitions. While global demand for trials is rising and sponsors increasingly view India as an attractive destination, trial sites remain unevenly equipped, concentrated in large cities, and burdened by variable processes.

A n...