Question : Patenting of Ayurvedic Medicines

Will the Minister of AYURVEDA, YOGA AND NATUROPATHY, UNANI, SIDDHA AND HOMOEOPATHY (AYUSH) be pleased to state:

(a) the percentage of population dependent on AYUSH system of medicine in the country;

(b) whether the Government proposes to spread as well as preserve the knowledge of Ayurvedic medicines available in manuscripts, ancient books and other sources; and

(c) if so, the steps taken by the Government in this regard including digitization of rare books and patenting of traditional medicines?

THE MINISTER OF STATE (IC) OF THE MINISTRY OF AYURVEDA, YOGA & NATUROPATHY, UNANI, SIDDHA AND HOMOEOPATHY(AYUSH)
(SHRI SHRIPAD YESSO NAIK)

(a) to (c): A statement is laid on the Table of the House

STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO LOK SABHA
STARRED QUESTION NO 213 FOR 11TH MARCH, 2016

(a) National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) has undertaken a survey on social consumption in India on Health in its 71st round conducted during January – June 2014. As per key indicators released recently by NSSO for the 71st round, it is estimated that about 6% of the people have received treatment from Indian Systems of Medicine (including Ayurveda, Unani and Siddha), Homoeopathy and Yoga & Naturopathy.

(b) Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS) is engaged in the studies related to revival & retrieval and digitization of Ancient Ayurvedic Manuscripts & Rare Books and they are being published from time to time, so far 30 books retrieved from manuscripts have been published and are now available in the public domain. (Annexure-I)

Besides this, the Council has surveyed and digitized more than 5000 Ayurvedic Manuscripts/Rare Books from Odisha, West Bengal, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Tamilnadu, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Assam and Jammu & Kashmir (Leh) etc.

(c) Ministry of AYUSH had given financial assistance to 31 institutes to preserve rare and precious AYUSH books for translation & publication under Central Sector Scheme, Acquisition, Cataloguing, Digitization and Publication of Text Books & Manuscripts (ACDP) implemented during 11th Plan. The Centre for Traditional Medicine and Research, Chennai has collected 268 rare siddha palm manuscripts and digitized. Tamil Valarchi Kazhagam Chennai has published 8 volumes of Siddha medicines in Tamil (Annexure-II).

As far as Unani system is concerned, Central Council for Research in Unani Medicine (CCRUM) is also engaged in digitization of classical Unani book/manuscripts. So far 50 books manuscripts have been digitized by the Council (Annexure-III).

As far as patenting of traditional medicines is concerned, ‘an invention which, in effect, is traditional knowledge or which is an aggregation or duplication of known properties of traditionally known component or components’ are not inventions and not patentable.