AYUSH Ministry asks for enhanced budgetary allocation

Amid reports that a massive health budget cut is likely, the Ministry of AYUSH has asked the Finance Ministry to hike its budgetary allocation substantially for 2015-16 in view of its emerging importance.
Minister of State for Health Shripad Yesso Naik said the government is working to have an independent drug controller for the Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy (AYUSH), separated from the drug controller of modern medicine.
"The Ministry of AYUSH has asked the Finance Ministry to hike the budgetary allocation for propagation and promotion of AYUSH to an extent of Rs 2,700 crore for fiscal 2015-16 from the present level of Rs 400 crore," a PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry statement said, quoting Naik.

The minister said this while inaugurating a conference on "Mainstreaming Ayush: Cultural Heritage for Healing" organised by the Chamber today. Naik indicated that budgetary allocations for AYUSH needed to be multiplied in view of the emerging importance of evolving AYUSH.
The Department of AYUSH aims at providing attention to development of education and research in Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy systems.
The Health Ministry budget is likely to face a massive Rs 6,000-crore cut on account of non-utilisation of the entire budgetary allocation even as its Minister J P Nadda had recently maintained that no flagship programme will be affected due to the cut.

Elaborating about the independent drug controller for Ayush, Naik said that it would be provided with "sufficient teeth" to regulate the AYUSH as per new policy prescription and it would also be provided with a mandate to issue the Certificate of Pharmaceutical Products (COPP) for exports of AYUSH products.