The Right to Information Awareness (RTIA) Forum in Karnataka has submitted a memorandum to the state government urging it not to consider the proposal of a separate director for Ayurveda in the State Directorate of Ayush (Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy).

In the memorandum submitted to the state finance secretary, the Forum said that there is no need for a separate director for the Ayurveda segment. "With the Directorate of Ayush looked upon as a single entity at the Centre,there is no need to have a separate chief to man the operations. Moreover, a senior Karnataka Administrative Services (KAS) officer assists the director in his day-to-day administration and the technical assistance is given by deputy directors from all the divisions, Ayurveda, Unani, Yoga and Homoeopathy. Now the demand for a separate director for Ayurveda is only to fulfil some vested interests," said M Mahesh, secretary of the Forum, also known as Mahiti Hakku Jaagruti Vedike.

According to JSD Pani, secretary, Karnataka Indian Medicine Manufacturers Association (KIMMA), the director, Ayush is not a technical post but an administrative one and hence only a basic knowledge of all systems of Indian medicine is required. The director of Ayush could co-ordinate with the deputy directors of the different departments for the day-to-day operations. In the past, all the directors of the Directorate of Ayush were Ayurveda specialists but now the present director is a Homoeopathy expert.

Although there have been objections from a section of representatives lobbying for an Ayurveda expert to head the Directorate of Ayush, it does not make any difference if anybody from other discipline is made the director as the post is of administrative in nature.

Since the inception of the Karnataka Directorate of Ayush, the directors had been Ayurveda doctors who efficiently managed the administration. But in 2005, a senior Homoeopathy doctor was appointed as director. Since then there have been demands for an Ayurveda doctor to head the directorate on the grounds that a Homoeopathy expert would not be able to handle Ayurveda which is not true, Mahesh said.

"There is no need for a dedicated Ayurveda expert to head the directorate. Anyone with leadership abilities can handle the directorate efficiently. The real issue should be the lack of fund allocation to the directorate. Last year, only Rs 40 crore was sanctioned in the state budget to the department of health and family welfare. Instead of wasting time on petty issues, the entire focus now should be on increasing the budget allocation to the directorate", Mahesh added.