Meet Arjun Deshpande, 20-year-old prodigy backed by Ratan Tata revolutionizing pharma industry

Veteran industrialist and philanthropist Ratan Tata turned 85 on Wednesday and wishes poured in from all corners of India. Among those wishing Tata was a 20-year-old dynamic entrepreneur, Arjun Deshpande.

With a picture of him holding Tata’s hand, Deshpande posted an emotional birthday wish for his ‘mentor’ and made a public demand that the Indian government confer the business tycoon with ‘Bharat Ratna’, India’s highest civilian post.

“Today is Ratan Tata Sir's birthday. I am very fortunate to be working with him for the discharge of health and social responsibilities. Whenever I meet him, he always inquires about my health and about my startup,” Deshpande wrote,“The youth of this country are fortunate to have inspirational personalities like Ratan Sir. He is a living example of how entrepreneurship can bring about a meaningful change in a large section of the society,” he added, making the demand that the government should “give Bharat Ratna to Ratan Sir!”.

Who is Arjun Deshpande?

One of India’s youngest entrepreneurs, 20-year-old Arjun Deshpande has been called the ‘Robin Hood of Indian Pharma’. When other kids are engrossed in innocent teenage activities, Arjun decided to bring a monumental shift in the nature of the medicine market when he founded Generic Aadhaar aged just 16.

The pharma startup is a platform which gives all citizens of India the “basic right” to procure quality medicines at affordable prices.

In 2018, he convinced Ratan Tata to join his revolution and invest in the company. While most large pharma firms offer maximum discounts of 10-15 percent on their medicines, Deshpande’s Generic Aadhaar gives up to 80 percent on WHO-GMP approved medicines. His mission has been quoted as making India an “expensive medicine mukt nation” by 2025.

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