The long standing demand of the Ayurveda, Siddha & Unani (ASU) drug manufacturers for exemption of ISM units from Weights & Measures Rules will be referred to a standing committee of different ministries which will be formed soon.

Official sources said that the earlier inter-ministerial committee, to which the ASU's demand was referred to, could not take any decision on this long pending issue as the committee did not have the terms of reference in this regard. "A standing committee of all concerned ministries, including Ayush dept, consumer affairs ministry, etc will be formed soon, say in a month or so, and the issue will be referred to the committee," a senior official said.

Exemption of ISM units from Weights & Measures Rules was a long pending issue and the ASU drug manufacturers had appealed to the union consumer affairs ministry to treat them at par with the allopathic medicines on the packaging issue by exempting them from the amendments to the Standards of Weights & Measures (Packaged Commodities) Rules 1977.

The amendments to this Rules 1977, brought out by the consumer affairs ministry, has put the ASU drug manufacturers in the country in a precarious situation as re-training and informing over 9400 manufacturers and thousands of products and packs are proving to be an arduous task. However, the ministry had exempted the allopathic medicines from the purview of this amendment.

In fact, the union health ministry had supported the industry's demand and had made recommendations in industry's favour.

As per the amendment, the ASU manufacturers have to mention details like the name, address, telephone number, e-mail address, if available, of the person who can be or the office which can be contacted, in case of consumer's complaint on the Medicinal pack label with effect from July 1, 2007, except declaration regarding MRP on every package.

The Ayurvedic Drug Manufacturers' Association (ADMA), which has made several representations to the ministry in this regard, said that the medicines manufactured by the ASU industry are governed by labelling provisions as stated in Rule 161 of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 and Rules 1945.