To find out lasting solutions to the intractable attitude of the officials in the directorate of Indian Medicine and other burning issues being faced by the manufacturers of ISM in Tamil Nadu, the newly floated association, Indian Medicine Manufacturers Association of Tamil Nadu (IMMAT) has sought the intervention of Rajya Sabha Member in the matter.

In a petition submitted to T K Rangarajan MP, the association has said the government of Tamil Nadu is hardly undertaking any encouraging step towards the development of ISM industry in the state and the officials in the directorate are behaving hostile to the industry. They have apprised the Member of Parliament that if the same situation continues for some more time, the “Indian System” in Tamil Nadu will have to be changed into “Foreign System”.

The Rajya Sabha Member’s office said the petition will be forwarded to the Chief Minister and to the health secretary of the state for their intervention.

After passing over a copy of the petition to Pharmabiz, the secretary of IMMAT, R Govindaraj said even the former Commissioner of ISM directorate, Ramesh Khanna had no knowledge about Ayush industry and the regulation procedures thereof. According to him, his period was the dark age of the industry and the people in the manufacturing side could seldom get any service from his part as an HoD. In the petition he said the manufacturers are suffering a lot in getting new licenses, clearing of renewal applications, product endorsements and other documentations.

“Whenever we approach them we are getting the feedback that there is a shortage of staff in the Licensing Department or the sitting of the Standing Committee has not been held or we are given instructions about compliance of the recently framed Ayush guidelines. After all, no official in the office is taking any responsibility or active step to solve our problems, every one there is interested in one’s own business”, Govindaraj has stated in his petition to the MP.

According to him, Karnataka state is pioneering in the area of Ayurveda for the last one decade and in next five years, it will become the hub of Ayurveda worldwide. In the 4th Ayurvedic World Conference that held in Bangalore last month, Karnataka was declared as one of the leading states in terms of encouragement and motivation for both SSI and medium SMEs. He said the ISM manufacturers who have represented Tamil Nadu in the conference were in fact astonished to find the way Karnataka government extending support to the entire ISM industry in terms of manufacturing, formulation and research & development.

 The petition suggests for inclusion of a member from either IMMAT or TASUDMA to the standing committee of the ISM directorate so that the member can put forth some advice with regard to product endorsements and formulations. Govindaraj said his association will hold a One-Day Workshop on new Ayush guidelines to educate the industry people.