Union government’s cluster initiative, Ayurpark Health Care Ltd, which is coming up in Karnataka is expected to be commissioned in early October this year. Ayurpark provides common facility centre to Ayush industries besides a high tech laboratory to enable the industries to ensure quality of the drugs and to take up research and development.
The clearance certification for the project and the first funding of Rs.2 crore out of the total Rs.17. 36 crore came in from the Union government in September 2009 and the second instalment of Rs.4 crore came in September 2010. We have time till September 2012 for the completion, JSD Pani, chairman, Ayurpark Health Care and president, Karnataka Indian Medicine Manufacturers Association (KIMMA) told Pharmabiz.
The building has come up and now we are inviting tenders for the supply of machinery and equipment installation. We are looking at commissioning part of the facility by early October, he added.
Karnataka has 185 units in the Ayush space of which 180 are in the small scale sector and 55 of these small units are already share holders in the Park.
The Ayush Park cluster which is national agenda driven by the Department of Ayush, in 2007 as a part of 11th plan, has slated similar efforts in the states of Kerala, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Orissa, Maharashtra and the Konkan region. In fact, Karnataka has the highest number of industry representation from the small scale segment with 55 units and this number is likely to go up, he said.
The business model of the Ayush cluster implemented by the Union government includes funds from itself, financial institutions and industry. In the case of Karnataka AyurPark, which is estimated at Rs.17.36 crore, the government would infuse Rs.10 crore as one time grant and Rs.5 crore has come in from the State Bank of India. The remaining Rs.2.36 crore is provided by the industry as per the share-holding pattern.
Currently, Karnataka Ayush Park has the highest number of representatives in which out of the 185 companies, 55 are share-holders from the industry compared to Kerala’s 60 from its 600 units; Maharashtra (Pune Ayush Park) with 30; Konkan Ayush Park with 20 and Punjab with 25, informed Pani.
In the Karnataka Park, Central government has disbursed Rs.6 crore of which Rs.4 crore has been invested for the plant infrastructure and machinery. The remaining 4 crore is expected as we submit our construction details, stated the chairman, Ayurpark Health Care and president, KIMMA.
The Park situated at Upasapura, Malur taluk in Karnataka is being developed by Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services Ltd which is the Project Management Consultants for the Union government in this project. The construction of the Common Facility Centre is completed along with the prefabricated building designed for raw material stores block and utility block, informed Pani.
As part of the backward linkage efforts, Ayurpark Health Care has inked a memorandum of understanding with the Karnataka State Forest Industries Corporation to source the medicinal plants. It is also working with farmers with the assistance of the Karnataka Medicinal Plants Authority to explore the backward linkages through Tamil Nadu Agricultural University’s Department of Medicinal & Aromatic Plants besides the Madhya Pradesh Minor Forest Products Federation.