ANSWER
THE MINISTER OF STATE (IC) OF THE MINISTRY OF AYURVEDA,
YOGA & NATUROPATHY, UNANI, SIDDHA AND HOMOEOPATHY
(SHRI SHRIPAD YESSO NAIK)
(a): The Botanical Survey of India (BSI), an organization under Ministry of Environment Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) mandated for survey of Plant Diversity of the Country including medicinal and aromatic plants. As per BSI information, the medicinal and aromatic plants are threatened and falling in the endangered category largely due to degradation of the forests owing to various anthropogenic factors i.e. over-exploitation, unsustainable collection of these plants and habitat degradation due to change in land-use pattern. As per BSI information, some threatened medicinal plants are: Aconitum balfouri, A. chasmanthum, A. deinorrhizum, A. falconeri var latilobum, A. ferox, A. heterophyllum, Acorus gramineus, Allium stracheyi, Angelica glauca, Anogeissus sericea var. numularia, Aquillaria mallaccensis, Aristolochia bracteolata, A. indica, Arnebia benthamii, Atropa acuminata, Berberis affinis, B. apiculata, B. aristata, Bergenia stracheyi, Capparis pachyphylla, Carum villosum, Colchicum luteum, Coptis teeta, Coscinium fenestratum, Dactylorhiza hatagirea, Dioscorea deltoidea, Elaeocarpus prunifolius, Ephedra gerardiana, Gentiana kurooa, Gloriosa superba, Hedychium spicatum, Hyoscyamus niger, Hydnocarpus macrocarpa, Iphigenia indica, I. pallida, I. stellata, Kolanchoe roseus, Madhuca insignis, Nardostachys grandiflora, Panax pseudoginseng, Picrorhiza kurrooa, Podophyllum hexandrum, Pterocarpus santalinus, Rauvolfia serpentina, Rheum emodi, Saussurea bracteata, S. costus, S. gnaphalodes, Swertia chirayita, Taxus wallichiana, Taxocarpus kurzii, Urginea indica and Urginea maritima.
(b) & (c): Medicinal Plants are the major resource base for manufacturing alternative medicine / AYUSH medicine in the Country. As per the demand and supply study conducted by Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE) supported by National Medicinal Plants Board (NMPB), the consumption of medicinal plants has increased @ 7% per year with an annual consumption of 5 lakh Metric Tonnes in 2014-15. To ensure the sustainable availability and supply of medicinal plants for manufacturing these medicine, the NMPB, Ministry of AYUSH under its “Central Sector Scheme on Conservation, Development and Sustainable Management of Medicinal Plants” is supporting augmentation the medicinal plants resources in their natural habitats / wild and under Centrally Sponsored Scheme of National AYUSH Mission (NAM) also promoting large scale cultivation in farmer’s field.
(d) & (e): In order to secure the sustainable habitat of medicinal plants, the Government has taken multiple steps. In this direction, the NMPB, Ministry of AYUSH under its Central Sector Scheme is supporting in-situ conservation of medicinal plants by way of establishing Medicinal Plants Conservation & Development Areas (MPCDAs), ex-situ conservation by way of establishing Herbal Gardens etc. throughout the country. Under the scheme support is also provided to carry out different IEC and R & D activities on various aspects of medicinal plants engaging all stakeholders of medicinal plants viz. harvesters, traders, manufacturers, Government agencies, non-governmental organizations and researchers.
In addition, to reduce the pressure on wild resource of medicinal plants and secure their natural habitat, the Ministry of AYUSH under its Centrally Sponsored Scheme of National AYUSH Mission (NAM) is also promoting large scale cultivation of medicinal plants in farmer’s field.
For international cooperation on medicinal plants, the NMPB, Ministry of AYUSH has also developed a standard draft Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) as per which the focussed areas for bilateral / International includes promotion of medicinal plants, Transfer of Technology, Cultivation, Conservation, Sustainable Collection, Processing, Marketing and Research on medicinal plants, Exchange of information & Experts in the field of medicinal plants etc.
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