Ayurveda drug manufacturers in Andhra Pradesh are getting united and are trying to organize themselves to form a single association in bid to effectively present their problems with the authorities.

JSD Pani, secretary, Karnataka Indian Medicine Manufacturers Association which is part of the All India Ayurveda Drug Manufacturers Association (ADMA) said, that, Andhra Pradesh has three associations located in Hyderabad, Vijayawada, Rajamundry. There is an effort to bring them together to form a single state association so that the industry gets united and identify the problems and find solutions.

"The three district associations need to be consolidated to take on the issues affecting the industry, particularly the small and tiny sector units," he added.

"The situation was the same in Maharashtra. There were more than three associations. With the efforts of Nasik based association, a state body known as the Maharashtra Ayurveda Oushadha Uthpadaka Sangha was formed, stated Pani.

According to Pani, during his interaction with the industry members in Hyderabad, he learnt that one of the most serious problems the industry faced in Andhra Pradesh was corruption in the Commissionerate of the Indian System of Medicine and Homeopathy.

Emphasizing the need for an active and united role of the industry in tackling issues, Pani gave an instance where industry members fed up with the corruption and decided to trap the corrupt officers. In the process one Dr Vinayaka Rao, Drugs Inspector was caught at Kavali near Nellore by the Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) of Andhra Pradesh.
The officer was caught red handed while accepting a bribe of Rs. 2,000 from an ayurvedic manufacturer and the investigation is in progress.

It is time the other officers in the ISM&H Commissionerate and the Law enforcing Officers from other states learn from this episode, he said.