The Department of Ayush is seeking to double the allocation in the next five years for expanding the ambitious programme of common clusters for the industry which could not prove to be a big success during the 11th Plan period.
The department, which got Rs.505 crore during the last Plan period for supporting development of common facilities for Ayush industry clusters and for providing incentives to industry for participation in fairs and conduct of market studies, is seeking Rs.1010.50 crore for spanning out the scheme during the 12th Plan term, sources said.
Development of common facilities of quality control, manufacturing and storage of drugs approved for industry clusters in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, Rajasthan and Punjab and three others for Uttarakhand, Gujarat and Assam were targeted during the 11th Plan.
As many 10 clusters were planned and many were already launched through special purpose vehicles formed to run the clusters. 275 industrial units were given incentive to participate in fairs/exhibitions. Mid-term appraisal of the scheme implementation brought out the need of doubling the initial outlay of Rs.100 crore to Rs.200 crore to cover adequate number of industry clusters in the country and recommended that the workshops/seminars/training programmes on Quality Control and Quality Assurance of ASU drugs may be conducted for sensitization of drugs regulators and manufacturers, sources said.
Now the Department is targeting to support common facilities at least one each in every State in the five years period so that more industry units could take benefits out of the scheme, sources added.
In Kerala, CARe Keralam Limited, Thrissur, the first instalment of the grant was released to the SPV in January, 2009. The SPV is in the process of appointing technical consultant for detailed engineering and supervision. It intends to complete the project within two years. In Maharashtra Ayush Cluster Pvt Ltd, Pune, five SPV members had withdrawn on December 3, 2008, including the member contributing land as equity. The promoters have been able to replace the manufacturer members and bridge the equity gap. A revised Detailed Project Report (DPR) is to be submitted.
In the case of the second cluster at Maharashtra, Konkan Ayur Pharma Private Limited, Sangameshwar, the DPR preparation is underway, equipment has been finalized, financial model and technical plan are through. The final approval is expected by this month end. In Punjab, Herbal Health Research Consortium Private Limited, Amritsar, the DPR preparation is underway and would be ready for final approval.
In Orissa, Rushikulya Ayurvedic Cluster Private Limited at Ganjam, SPV is still in the process of putting things in place. Traditional Ayush Cluster of Tamil Nadu (P) Ltd (TACT), Chennai is being promoted by 20 manufacturers who have come together to register the SPV.