The much-delayed Ayurpark Healthcare Ltd, the Ayush cluster of Karnataka state funded by government of India, has missed several deadlines and is now likely to be commissioned by January next year.
The trial run of the Cluster will begin in January and the commercial operation will take another one month after the commissioning, said JSD Pani while speaking to Pharmabiz at the Oushadhakeralam seminar in Thrissur.
“The delay happened due to several technical reasons, but now we are seeking the advice of Sam Pitroda, the chairman of the National Innovation Council for the continuation of the work. We have sought an appointment with him for his technical advice to develop the cluster project. At any rate, we want to start our project without delaying further and expect that it can be done in January,” said Pani, who is also the president of Karnataka Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association.
Pani said Sam Pitroda’s advice would be a big support to the thriving ayurveda industry in Karnataka. “Keeping him in front we will continue our project and his advice would be useful for our second initiative of a Confederation for all Ayush clusters in the country. I have conveyed this idea to the Ayush department in New Delhi and got unreserved support to proceed with the project. Formation of Confederation of clusters is meant for the overall development of Ayurveda and other Indian systems of medicine in India,” he said.
According to him the Confederation of clusters will work to create and sustain an environment conducive to the growth of ayurveda and other traditional medicines in India by mutually cooperating with one another for assistance and advice. For example, he said Ayurpark has no toxicology lab, but they will do the testing in Care Keralam, the Cluster unit in Kerala. Similarly, each unit can lend its services to other units in a mutually cooperative manner. All the clusters in the country constitute facilities worth Rs. 150 crore.
Pani said government of India has sanctioned ten Ayush clusters for the states of Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, two in Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Punchab, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa and finally in Guwahati in Assam. But only two units, those in Kerala and Punchab, have started functioning.
Karnataka’s Ayurpark, a project of Rs. 20 crore, located at Malur Industrial area near Bangalore, has a membership strength of 56 manufacturing units out of the 198 companies in the state. It has all the modern technological facilities for tableting, encapsulation and making ointments and oral liquids. Once the operation of the cluster started, the ayurveda medicines will get a modern industry status through its presentation and for that the manufacturing process is to be modernized. Shortly, each drug in the traditional systems will have a data of clinical validation and it will come out through good manufacturing process and good packing.
He further said the cluster initiative will also attract new entrepreneurs to invest in Ayush industry. A new strategy will be presented to sensitize the investors to stick on in the business, Pani explained.