Budget allocation of AYUSH Ministry hiked by 8 pc

AYUSH Ministry would receive around eight per cent more funds in the next fiscal amid the government's increased focus on promoting alternative medicines.
In the Union Budget for the fiscal 2017-18 announced by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley today, Ayush Ministry has been allocated Rs 1,428.65 crore for the financial year, starting April 1 this year.
The total outlay for the Ministry of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy (AYUSH) in the previous budget stood at Rs 1,326.20 crore.
Of this, the maximum budget allocation is for medical and public health which stands at Rs 914 crore as compared to Rs 860 crore in the previous budget.

Also, funds to the tune of Rs 440 crore have been earmarked for the national AYUSH mission, while Rs 175 crore have been allocated to Central Council for Research in Aurvedic Science.
The Central Council for Research in Unani Medicine has been allocated Rs 123 crore in the AYUSH Ministry's budget for the next fiscal.