Opposing the decision of the Kerala Excise Department to increase the licence fees for stocking aasavams and arishtams (spirituous preparations) in Ayurveda hospitals for retail and wholesale purposes, the Kerala branch of the Ayurveda Medical Association of India (AMAI) has requested the state government to review the decision with immediate effect.

In a representation to the excise minister K Babu, the secretary of the Association, Dr Rejith Anand said apart from the excise fees, the hospitals have to spend a large sum for licenses from respective local bodies and pollution control board. This increase in the licence fees will also put the medicine manufacturers into a quandary as they are already undergoing crisis due to the escalating cost of raw drugs.

In February this year, the excise department increased the licence fees under section 6 and 7 of the Spirituous Preparation (control) Rules 1969 for stocking and selling of aasavams and arishtams by retailers and wholesalers. The increased rates will come into force from April this year.

K Suresh Kumar, Assistant Excise Commissioner, Thiruvananthapuram told Pharmabiz that the department has raised the licence fee from Rs.150 to Rs.1000 under SP VII for Ayurveda hospitals, and for Allopathy hospitals from Rs.500 to Rs.5000. Whereas, for the wholesale distribution, the licence fee under SP VI was raised to Rs.4000 from Rs.2000.

In August 2011, the government brought an amendment to the Kerala Spirituous Preparations (Control) Rules 1969 in order to make the preparation and sale of ‘aasavaarishtams’ regulated effectively. As per the amendment, an Ayurveda doctor can keep arishtams and aasavams upto one hundred litres. Till then the allowed quantity was five litres.

The ayurvedic physicians’ community had earlier requested the government to raise the allowable quantity of arishtams from five litres to one hundred. According to the amendment, a doctor can keep 15 categories of arishtams upto 100 litres.