(a) whether the Government has conducted any study and made any efforts to discover the
herbs found in the forests of Maharashtra;
(b) if so, the details thereof; and
(c) the details of the private and the public sector units established for utilizing the
same in Maharashtra?
THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH & FAMILY WELFARE(SMT. PANABAKA LAKSHMI)
(a & b) The Botanical Survey of India, Western Circle, Pune has undertaken floristic survey of
the State and published the State Flora of Maharashtra in three volumes. According to the survey
report, there were about 4000 species of flowering and about 450 species of medicinally
important plants in Maharashtra.Surveys have also been conducted by Central Council for Research
in Ayurveda and Siddha (CCRAS) and Central Council for Research in Unani Medicine(CCRUM),
autonomous organizations working under the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, in and around
forest areas of Maharashtra covering places viz. Wardha, Bhandara, Kondhali, Gondia, AllapaH,
W.Melghat, Yavatmal, Amaravati, Pusad, Akola, Akot, Buldhana, E..Melaghat, Chandrapur, Tadola,
Brahampur, Wadsa, Gadchiroli, Satara, Aurangabad, Nasik, Pune, Mahabaleshver, Malegaon ,
Tarapur & Sholapur. Various species of medicinal herbs have also been identified and collected
from the areas explored.
(c ) There are 715 pharmacies in Maharashtra consisting of 660 of Ayurveda, 6 of Unani and
39 Homoeopathy units, as on 1-4-2006.