The Department of Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha & Homoeopathy (AYUSH) is planning to revamp its various ongoing financial assistance and research schemes offered to improve the Indian Systems of Medicine (ISM) sector.

With this objective, the department will soon appoint an independent consultant to conduct a comprehensive and in-depth assessment of the outcomes and impact of various Central and State Government sponsored schemes being implemented during the 10th Five Year Plan Period.

According to sources, the evaluation is aimed to improve the quality of implementation of development programmes and to enhance the efficiency and accountability of the delivery mechanism. It will also clearly bring out the results achieved so far in quantitative and qualitative terms for each scheme, various bottlenecks in implementation of schemes etc.

The evaluation report is aimed to facilitate the governments in deciding whether to continue with the present schemes or modify the schemes in achieving the desired results. The consultant will have to submit draft report within three months and the final report within one month after approval from the Department of AYUSH.

The consultant will review ongoing schemes like the development and upgradation of AYUSH institutions, hospitals and dispensaries, quality control of ASU&H drugs, strengthening pharmacopoeial laboratories of Pharmacopoeial Laboratory of Indian Medicine (PLIM),Ghaziabad, Homoeopathic Pharmacopoeial Laboratory (HPL), Ghaziabad, IMPCL at Mohan, Uttaranchal, development of educational institutions like the National Institute of Ayurveda (NIA), Jaipur, National Institute of Homoeopathy (NIH), Kolkata etc. Ongoing research activities and upgradation schemes related to the research councils like the Central Council for Research in Ayurveda & Siddha (CCRAS), Central Council for Research in Unani Medicine (CCRUM), Central Council for Research in Yoga & Naturopathy (CCRYN), Central Council for Research in Homoeopathy (CCRH), research projects through institutions related to various universities, NGOs, etc. will also come under scrutiny.