The Ayurveda Medical Association of India (AMAI) has assailed the Kerala government over its gross neglect of Ayurveda in the state budget 2012 – 13, presented by the state finance minister in the assembly recently.

In a representation submitted to the finance minister K M Mani, Dr Rejith Anand, the secretary of AMAI said the minister has not provided any worthwhile schemes or reforms in the budget with a view to enhance the areas of health, diseases and treatment. Criticizing the budget, the association secretary said the state finance minister has thwarted the over all development of the country’s traditional system with his budget.

He said that certain schemes are there for infrastructure development in view of global marketing, which will help only for commercial transactions. As far as the poor people are concerned, who are the beneficiaries of the system, the budget gives only disappointment, Dr Rejith complained.

Castigating the government for not putting up special schemes for launching more number of Ayurveda dispensaries, AMAI has requested the government to review their demands in order to boost the Ayurveda system of Kerala. The traditional physicians reminded the minister that in Kerala 211 village punchayaths have no Ayurveda dispensaries. Despite a host of memorandums to the government, no fruitful step was taken by the former or the present government.

However, the Association has hailed the government’s decision regarding allocation of Rs.5 crore for setting up a Global Ayurveda Village in Thiruvananthapuram. It welcomed the decision to sanction Rs.1 crore for the establishment of an Ayurveda University in the state. It had earlier put up a demand to the government to create a separate department for Ayush in the state, but it was also rejected by the government, the association said.

In the budget the finance minister has reduced the tax rate of certain ayurvedic products by including them into the category of cosmetics and included a scheme to grow herbal plants on the river sides, those reforms were welcomed by the Ayurveda medical association.