Displeasure is growing among the Ayurveda community in Kerala over the delay in considering their representations of grievances by the Ayush minister of the Union government. Several demands were submitted to him when the minister was in the state in January this year.

Physicians and drug manufacturers representing various Ayurveda organisations are of the opinion that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has good vision about the country’s traditional medicines and treatment systems, but accuse that the minister of state for Ayush, Shripad Yesso Naik, is not acting according to the vision of the Prime Minister. They want the minister to keep his promises given to the Ayurveda community in Kerala when he visited the state on assuming charge.

“For first time in the country, a separate ministry for Ayush was formed on November 9, 2014 and the minister was given the independent charge of it. There was immense hope among the stakeholders of all the Ayush systems after the ministry was formed. We have made several suggestions to the minister for the development of the traditional treatment systems, especially Ayurveda sector in Kerala. But no proactive step is being taken by the minister despite repeated representations,” says Dr. PR. Krishnakumar, chairman, Care-Keralam, Ayush cluster.

Dr Krishnakumar had requested the minister to take steps to make the Indian system of medicines to be the mainstream medicine in the country as it cannot be considered as alternative system. To this demand, the minister had given a positive signal, but no initiative from his side after that.

Dr Krishnakumar, who has been awarded Padmashree by government of India for his valuable services to Ayurveda system, said he has given a set of demands to the minister and held detailed discussion with him while the minister was in Kerala. The same demands were further given to the minister directly by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar on another occasion in Bengaluru. Further, reminder was made when the minister was met in Chennai. All the demands remain the same even today and no action has been taken over them, he said.

Grumbles and protests are imminent from the Ayurvedic Medicine Manufacturers’ Organisation of India (AMMOI) as its general secretary, Dr D Ramanathan alleges that the Ayush minister is backtracking from his promises. AMMOI had given one memorandum to the minister while he was in Thrissur during the month of January. The minister had agreed to the demand of AMMOI that he would take positive steps to establish Rs. 100 crore project of the central government, National Institute of Medicinal Plants, in Kerala.

Another demand from AMMOI was that the birthday of Dhanwanthari, the founder of Ayurveda, should be declared as Ayurveda Day.

Dr. Rejith Anand, general secretary of Ayurveda Medical Association of India (AMAI), said his organisation had also represented various issues and demands to the minister when he came to Kerala to inaugurate AMAI annual general body in Kollam. According to him, Ayush minister is passive in taking steps to promote and develop Ayurveda in the country.

All the associations of Ayurveda and other Ayush systems in Kerala are planning to approach the Prime Minister’s Office to address various issues encountered by the industry and practitioners.