What is NPPA and what powers does it have under DPCO 2013?

The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) is an independent statutory body under the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, established in 1997. Its primary mandate is to fix and revise the ceiling prices of scheduled drugs listed in Schedule I of the Drugs (Prices Control) Order, 2013 (DPCO 2013), which is issued under the Essential Commodities Act, 1955. NPPA also monitors the prices of non-scheduled (decontrolled) drugs to ensure they do not rise by more than 10% in a year. When a manufacturer or retailer charges more than the notified ceiling price, NPPA can initiate overcharging recovery proceedings and impose penalties. NPPA is a public authority under Section 2(h) of the RTI Act, 2005, and must respond to RTI applications within 30 days.

Which drugs have ceiling prices fixed by NPPA and which are market-priced?

Only drugs listed in Schedule I of DPCO 2013 (the National List of Essential Medicines, NLEM) are subject to ceiling price control — these are called 'Scheduled Drugs' or 'price-controlled formulations.' The ceiling price is calculated by NPPA using a market-based price (MBP) formula: it takes the simple average of all brands with at least 1% market share in that formulation, applies a trade margin, and that becomes the maximum retail price (MRP) any manufacturer may charge. Drugs NOT in Schedule I (non-scheduled drugs) are decontrolled — manufacturers may set their own MRP, but NPPA monitors them and restricts annual price hikes to 10% based on the Wholesale Price Index (WPI). Through RTI you can obtain the list of scheduled drugs under DPCO 2013, the current ceiling prices, and the WPI-based revision data for non-scheduled drugs.

Can RTI help if I was charged more than the printed MRP or NPPA ceiling price for a medicine?

Yes. If you were charged above the printed MRP at a pharmacy, that is a violation of the Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules, 2011, and can be reported to the state Drug Control authority or the consumer court. If the printed MRP on the pack itself exceeds the NPPA-notified ceiling price, that is a DPCO 2013 violation — you can file a complaint directly with NPPA and simultaneously file an RTI asking for: (1) the current notified ceiling price for that formulation, (2) the Gazette Notification reference, (3) any overcharging complaints received against that manufacturer, and (4) the action taken. An RTI response confirming the ceiling price creates an official record that strengthens your complaint or consumer forum case.

What is a price revision order, and can I get the basis for a drug price increase through RTI?

NPPA periodically revises ceiling prices of scheduled drugs using two routes: (a) scheduled revisions based on the annual change in the Wholesale Price Index (WPI), which apply to all scheduled formulations; and (b) extraordinary revisions under paragraph 19 of DPCO 2013, which NPPA may order in the public interest, including for shortage situations or to align with cost changes. For non-scheduled drugs, manufacturers must give prior notice to NPPA before hiking prices beyond 10%. Through RTI you can request copies of all price revision orders for a specific drug, the justification recorded for each revision, the WPI data used, and the public interest reasons cited for any extraordinary revision. This is particularly useful for patients on long-term therapy who want to understand why their monthly medicine cost has increased.

What if NPPA does not respond to my RTI within 30 days?

File a First Appeal under Section 19(1) of the RTI Act with the First Appellate Authority (FAA) at NPPA within 30 days of the date of decision or expiry of the 30-day response period, whichever is applicable. If the FAA's response is absent or unsatisfactory, file a Second Appeal with the Central Information Commission (CIC) under Section 19(3) within 90 days. NPPA is a Central Government body under the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers — the second appeal always goes to the CIC, not any State Information Commission.

Home/Guides/How to File RTI with NPPA for Drug Price Control, Ceiling Price Fixation and Overcharging Complaints

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How to File RTI with NPPA for Drug Price Control, Ceiling Price Fixation and Overcharging Complaints

Step-by-step guide to file an RTI with the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) for ceiling price fixation basis under DPCO 2013, overcharging complaint records, market-based price (MBP) data, price revision orders, and DPCO compliance notices issued to drug manufacturers. Includes a ready-to-use sample RTI draft.

Updated 1 Jun 2026

Quick Facts

MinistryMinistry of Chemicals and Fertilizers

Address RTI ToCPIO, National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority, 3 Siri Fort Institutional Area, August Kranti Marg, New Delhi – 110049

Application Fee₹10 under RTI (Regulation of Fee and Cost) Rules, 2005. Free for BPL cardholders.

Response Time30 days from receipt (Section 7(1), RTI Act 2005). 48 hours if the matter involves life or liberty.

File Online Athttps://rtionline.gov.in

All information on this page is based on the Right to Information Act, 2005 (Act No. 22 of 2005) and the RTI (Regulation of Fee and Cost) Rules, 2005. First Appeal: Section 19(1). Second Appeal to CIC/SIC: Section 19(3).

The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) is India's independent drug pricing regulator, established in 1997 under the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers. Its core mandate is to fix ceiling prices for essential medicines and monitor the drug market to prevent overcharging. NPPA exercises its price control powers through the Drugs (Prices Control) Order, 2013 (DPCO 2013), issued under the Essential Commodities Act, 1955. NPPA is a public authority under Section 2(h) of the RTI Act, 2005.

For patients managing chronic conditions, consumer organisations, healthcare researchers, and civil society groups, RTI is a powerful tool to scrutinise how NPPA fixes drug prices, what action is taken on overcharging complaints, and whether manufacturers are complying with notified ceiling prices. The information NPPA holds is of direct public health significance — and much of it is accessible through a simple ₹10 RTI application.

How NPPA Controls Drug Prices

Understanding NPPA's pricing framework helps you ask precise RTI questions.

Scheduled Drugs (Price-Controlled Formulations): Drugs listed in Schedule I of DPCO 2013 — derived from the National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM) — are subject to mandatory ceiling prices set by NPPA. The ceiling price is calculated through a market-based price (MBP) formula: NPPA surveys the retail market, identifies all brands of a formulation with at least 1% market share, takes their simple average price, adds a permissible trade margin (16% for retail, 8% for stockist), and derives the maximum retail price (MRP) that any manufacturer may print. No manufacturer may sell a scheduled formulation above this notified ceiling price.

Non-Scheduled Drugs (Decontrolled Formulations): Drugs not in Schedule I are not subject to ceiling price control. However, NPPA monitors them under paragraph 20 of DPCO 2013 and restricts manufacturers from hiking prices by more than 10% per year based on the annual Wholesale Price Index (WPI). Manufacturers must give prior notice to NPPA before any price revision.

Annual WPI-Based Revisions: Ceiling prices for scheduled drugs are revised annually by NPPA based on the percentage change in the WPI. NPPA publishes these revision orders in the Official Gazette.

Extraordinary Revisions (Paragraph 19): In exceptional cases — such as shortage of a critical medicine, or to balance patient affordability with manufacturer viability — NPPA may issue an extraordinary revision order. These revisions have their own stated justifications, which are accessible through RTI.

Overcharging Recovery: If a manufacturer or retailer charges above the NPPA-notified ceiling price, NPPA can initiate recovery proceedings to claw back the excess amount with 15% annual interest. RTI can reveal how many such proceedings have been initiated and their outcomes.

What Can You Obtain Through RTI to NPPA?

The ceiling price fixation formula and market data used for any specific scheduled formulation — including which brands were surveyed and their recorded prices
The current notified ceiling price for any scheduled drug, the Gazette Notification reference, and the date of the last revision
Copies of price revision orders (both WPI-based and extraordinary) for any formulation, along with the recorded justification
Overcharging complaint records — number of complaints received against a manufacturer or for a therapeutic category, action taken, and whether recovery proceedings were initiated
DPCO compliance notices or show-cause notices issued to specific manufacturers, and the response/outcome
Market-based price (MBP) data used in the most recent ceiling price fixation exercise for any scheduled drug
The 10% price hike notification given by a manufacturer for a non-scheduled drug — and whether NPPA found it within permissible limits

Who Should File This RTI?

Patients and caregivers on long-term therapy for chronic diseases (diabetes, hypertension, cancer, cardiac conditions) who want to verify whether they are being charged above the ceiling price
Consumer groups and patient advocacy organisations monitoring affordability of essential medicines
Researchers and journalists investigating pharmaceutical pricing, generic versus branded drug price gaps, or DPCO compliance
Pharmacists and trade associations needing clarity on permissible trade margins and ceiling price notifications
Legal professionals building consumer forum or competition law cases involving drug overcharging

How to File RTI with NPPA

File your RTI application at rtionline.gov.in:

Log in or register at rtionline.gov.in
Select Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers as the Ministry
Select National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) as the public authority
Draft your application specifying the drug name, formulation strength, DPCO schedule status, and the period for which information is sought
Pay ₹10 online (credit/debit card, internet banking, or UPI) — BPL cardholders attach a copy of their BPL card and claim fee exemption
Submit and note the registration number for tracking

The CPIO address for postal applications is: CPIO, National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority, 3 Siri Fort Institutional Area, August Kranti Marg, New Delhi – 110049.

What Specific Information Can You Ask For?

Ceiling price fixation:

The ceiling price notified for drug name / formulation strength under DPCO 2013 — current MRP ceiling, Gazette Notification number, and date of notification
The market-based price (MBP) calculation used to fix the ceiling price — brands surveyed, their prices, and the weighted average derived
All price revision orders (WPI-based and extraordinary) issued for drug name in the last five years, with justification for each revision

Overcharging and compliance: 4. Number of overcharging complaints received by NPPA against manufacturer / brand / therapeutic category in the last three financial years, and the action taken on each 5. Whether recovery proceedings under DPCO 2013 were initiated against manufacturer — amount sought, recovered, and current status 6. Copies of any DPCO compliance notice or show-cause notice issued to manufacturer for selling above the ceiling price

Non-scheduled drug monitoring: 7. Whether NPPA received a prior notice from manufacturer for a price hike in non-scheduled drug — the notified price increase percentage and whether it was within the 10% WPI-based limit 8. Whether NPPA took any suo motu action to restrain the price hike

Appeals

First Appeal (Section 19(1)): File with the First Appellate Authority (FAA) at NPPA within 30 days of the date of decision or expiry of the 30-day response period, whichever is applicable.

Second Appeal (Section 19(3)): File with the Central Information Commission (CIC) within 90 days of the FAA's decision or the expiry of the FAA's response time. NPPA is a Central Government body — the second appeal goes to the CIC, not any State Information Commission.

Sample RTI Application Draft

To,
The Central Public Information Officer (CPIO),
National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA),
3 Siri Fort Institutional Area, August Kranti Marg,
New Delhi – 110049

Subject: Application under the Right to Information Act, 2005 — Ceiling Price Fixation Basis, Overcharging Complaints and DPCO 2013 Compliance Data

Sir/Madam,

I, [Your Full Name], [Patient / Consumer / Researcher / Other], residing at [Your Complete Address], submit this application under Section 6 of the Right to Information Act, 2005, to seek the following information:

Drug / formulation details (where applicable):
  Name of Scheduled Drug / Formulation: [e.g., Metformin 500 mg Tablet]
  DPCO 2013 Schedule: [Schedule I (price-controlled) or otherwise]
  Manufacturer(s) / Brand(s): [if known]
  Period of Information Sought: [e.g., financial years 2022–23 and 2023–24]

Information sought:

1. The formula / methodology applied by NPPA to fix the ceiling price for [drug name / formulation] under the Drugs (Prices Control) Order, 2013 (DPCO 2013) — specifically the market-based price (MBP) calculation, weighted average formula, and the cost data or market data used as inputs.

2. The current notified ceiling price (in ₹ per unit) for [drug name / formulation], the date of the price notification, and the Gazette Notification reference number.

3. A copy of or reference to all price revision orders issued by NPPA for [drug name / formulation] in the last five years, along with the stated justification for each revision.

4. The number of overcharging complaints received by NPPA against manufacturers or retailers regarding [drug name / formulation or therapeutic category] in the last three financial years — broken down by year, the action taken on each complaint, and whether any recovery proceedings were initiated under DPCO 2013.

5. The market-based price (MBP) data collected by NPPA for [drug name] used in the most recent ceiling price fixation or revision exercise — including the brands surveyed and their prices recorded.

6. A copy of any show-cause notice or DPCO compliance notice issued by NPPA to [manufacturer name, if known] for overcharging or violation of the notified ceiling price, along with the response received and outcome.

I am enclosing the application fee of Rs. 10 [via online payment; Reference No.: [Payment Ref]].

I request the above information within 30 days as required under Section 7(1) of the RTI Act, 2005.

Yours sincerely,

[Your Full Name]
[Your Complete Address]
Phone: [Your 10-digit Mobile Number]
Email: [[email protected]]
Date: [DD/MM/YYYY]

Replace all text in [square brackets] with your actual details before filing. Do not include the brackets in your submission.

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