As part of its efforts to assist the ayurveda drug manufacturers to meet the quality standards, the Ayush department of the union health ministry has given approval for two ayurveda clusters in Maharashtra, one each in Nasik and Pune, where common manufacturing, testing and marketing facilities will be set up. Another cluster at Konkan region is also under the active consideration of the health ministry.

The clusters will be useful to the ayurveda manufacturers, especially the small and medium scale units who cannot afford to establish advanced facilities on their own, as there will be all types of common facilities in the clusters. With the government shifting its focus on quality, the clusters will go a long way in upgrading the quality of ayurveda products in the country.

According to sources, the Ayush department has given in-principle approval for two clusters in the state at Nasik and Pune and has asked the manufacturers to come up with detailed proposals. The cluster in Nasik will be established at an estimated cost of Rs 7.3 crore and of which the department of Ayush will provide Rs 4.21 crore. The promoters, the manufacturers, have to collect Rs 1.20 crore and the rest will be taken as term loan from a bank.

The common manufacturing facilities which will be established in the cluster included common tablet coating machines, extraction machines and packaging machines like blister packing and strip packing. The common testing facilities included common identification testing and qualitative testing. There will be advanced technological facilities for analysing the products such as gas chromatographers, HPTLC, and atomic absorption machines for heavy metal testing.

Besides, there will be common facilities for conducting stability testing, shelf-life study and toxicological study in the cluster. There will also have a common effluent disposal plant in the cluster.

There are around 25 manufacturers willing to be part of the cluster in Nasik against the ministry's requirement of minimum 15 manufacturers. The Nasik cluster, known as Maha Ayush, will be established over an area of around 24,000 sq feet, sources said.