UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Union Health Ministry Invites Stakeholder and Public Comments on Revised Draft National Pharmacy Commission Bill, 2026

Q1. The Pharmacy Council of India was constituted in 1949 under which one of the following sections of the Pharmacy Act, 1948?

  • A. Section 3
  • B. Section 10
  • C. Section 18
  • D. Section 42

Q2. Under the revised draft National Pharmacy Commission Bill, the boards functioning under the Commission are to be constituted by which one of the following authorities?

  • A. The Central Government
  • B. The National Pharmacy Commission alone
  • C. The Pharmacy Council of India
  • D. The State Pharmacy Councils exclusively

Q3. As per the draft National Pharmacy Commission Bill, how many boards is the Central Government to constitute to function under the Commission?

  • A. Two
  • B. Three
  • C. Four
  • D. Five

Q4. The National Medical Commission, which replaced the Medical Council of India, is administered under which one of the following Union Ministries?

  • A. Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
  • B. Ministry of Education
  • C. Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers
  • D. Ministry of Science and Technology

Q5. India's Pre-Legislative Consultation Policy of 2014, under which draft Bills such as the National Pharmacy Commission Bill are placed for public comment, was first formulated by which one of the following?

  • A. A Committee of Secretaries
  • B. The Law Commission of India
  • C. The Second Administrative Reforms Commission
  • D. A Department-Related Parliamentary Standing Committee

Q6. The 2025 corruption investigation into irregular approval of pharmacy colleges was directed principally against the President (presiding head) of which one of the following bodies?

  • A. Pharmacy Council of India
  • B. National Pharmacy Commission
  • C. Dental Council of India
  • D. Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation

Q7. The 2025 investigation into irregular recognition of pharmacy colleges by the leadership of the Pharmacy Council of India was conducted by which one of the following agencies?

  • A. Central Bureau of Investigation
  • B. Enforcement Directorate
  • C. Central Vigilance Commission
  • D. National Investigation Agency

Q8. As of 2026, of the following three older regulatory councils — the Medical Council of India, the Indian Nursing Council and the Pharmacy Council of India — how many have already been superseded by an enacted statutory Commission?

  • A. One
  • B. Two
  • C. Three
  • D. None

Q9. Prior to independence there was no statutory restriction on practising pharmacy in India, with unqualified persons compounding and dispensing medicines. The practice of pharmacy as a profession was first brought under regulation by which one of the following enactments?

  • A. The Pharmacy Act, 1948
  • B. The Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940
  • C. The Poisons Act, 1919
  • D. The Dangerous Drugs Act, 1930