Lok Sabha Question No. 2860 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-08-03
Subject: Medicinal Plants
Ministry: AYURVEDA,YOGA & NATUROPATHY,UNANI,SIDDHA AND HOMEOPATHY (AYUSH)
Asked by: VINOD CHAVDA, DUSHYANT CHAUTALA

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF AYURVEDA, YOGA & NATUROPATHY, UNANI, SIDDHA AND HOMOEOPATHY (AYUSH)

## LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED  QUESTION NO. 2860 TO BE ANSWERED ON 3 RD AUGUST, 2018

## MEDICINAL PLANTS

## 2860. SHRI VINOD LAKHAMASHI CHAVDA: SHRI DUSHYANT CHAUTALA:

Will  the  Minister of AYURVEDA,  YOGA  AND  NATUROPATHY,  UNANI, SIDDHA AND HOMOEOPATHY (AYUSH) be pleased to state:

- (a) whether it is a fact that 93 percent of the wild medicinal plants used for making medicines are endang ered and extinction rates are currently 1000 times higher than normal to deforestation and climate change and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether the Government has implemented the National Mission on Medicinal Plants throu the National Medicin al Board;
- (c) if so, whether the board has failed to conserve the rare medicinal plants in the count
- (d) if so, the details thereof and the action taken by the Government to protect the di number of medicinal plants across the country; and
- (e) whether the Government proposes any incentives to the farmers to promote herbal/medic farming and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE (IC) OF THE MINISTRY OF AYURVEDA, YOGA & NATUROPATHY, UNANI, SIDDHA AND HOMOEOPATHY (SHRI SHRIPAD YESSO NAIK)

- (a): Medicinal Plants are the major resource base for making the ayurvedic medicines and as  per  information  provided  by  Botanical  Survey  of  India  (BSI),  an  organization  u Ministry  of  Environment  Forests  and  Climate  Change  (MoEFCC)  mandated  for  survey  of Plant  Diversity  of  the  country  including  medicinal  and  aromatic  plants, the  medicinal  and aromatic plants  are getting threatened and falling in the endangered category largel degradation  of  the  forests  owing  to  various  anthropogenic  factors  i.e.  over -exploitation, unsustainable  collection  of  these  plants  and  habitat  d egradation  due  to  change  in  land - use pattern. As per BSI information, some of the endangered medicinal plants facing higher of  extinction  are: Aconitum  balfouri,  A.  chasmanthum,  A.  deinorrhizum,  A.  falconeri  var latilobum, A. ferox, A. heterophyllum , Acorus gramineus, Allium stracheyi, Angelica glauca, Anogeissus  sericea  var.  numularia,  Aquillaria  mallaccensis,  Aristolochia bracteolata,

A. indica, Arnebia benthamii, Atropa acuminata, Berberis affinis, B. apiculata, B. a Bergeniastracheyi, Capparis pachyphylla, Carum villosum, Colchicum luteum, Coptis teet Coscinium fenestratum, Dactylorhiza hatagirea, Dioscorea deltoidea, Elaeocarpu prunifolius, Ephedra gerardiana, Gentiana kurooa, Gloriosa superba, Hedychium spicatum Hyoscyamus  niger,  Hydnocarpus  macrocarpa,  Iphigenia  indica,  I.  pallida,  I.  stell Kolanchoe  roseus,  Madhuca  insignis,  Nardostachys  grandiflora,  Panax  pseudoginseng, Picrorhiza kurrooa, Podophyllum hexandrum, Pterocarpus santalinus, Rauwolfia serpentina Rheum emodi,  Saussurea  bracteata,  S.  costus,  S.  gnaphalodes,  Swertia  chirayita,  Ta wallichiana, Taxocarpus kurzii, Urginea indica and Urginea maritima .

- (b): Yes, the National Medicinal Plants Board (NMPB) has implemented the Centrally Sponsored Scheme o f National Mission on Medicinal Plants (NMMP) from financial  year 2008- 09 to 2014 - 15. The scheme was primarily aimed at supporting market driven cultivatio of  medicinal  plants  on  farmer's  land  with  backward  linkages  through  establishment  of nurseries  for  supply  of  quality  planting  material  an d  forward  linkages  for  post - harvest management etc. The cultivation of medicinal plants was supported by providing subsid farmers  through  the  identified  implementing  agency  in  concerned  states.  Under  NMMP Scheme total 95 species of medicinal plants wer e prioritized for cultivation including some of the Rare, Endangered and Threatened (RET) species like  Ashok (Saraca asoca); Swertia chirayita; Guggal ( Commiphora wightii); Jatamansi ( Nardostachys jatamansi); Kuth ( Saussurea costus); Kutki ( Picrorhiza kur roa ); Atees ( Aconitum heterophyllum); Daruhaldi ( Berberis  aristata); Tagar (Valeriana  wallichii) etc . From  Financial  Year  2015 - 16,  the NMMP  scheme  has  been  subsumed  as  'Medicinal  Plants'  Component  under  Centrally Sponsored Scheme of National AYUSH Mission (NAM) of Ministry of AYUSH.
- (c) & (d): The promotion of cultivation of Rare, Endangered and Threatened species unde NMMP scheme has contributed towards conservation of their natural population in wild. addition to promoting cultivation of RET sp ecies, the NMPB under 'Central Sector Scheme for  Conservation,  Development  and  Sustainable  Management  of  Medicinal  Plants'  also provideproject based support to conserve the medicinal plants species by way of establi Medicinal Plants Conservation and Development Areas (MPCDAs) and Resource Augmentation in wild/forest areas.
- (e): Yes, the Ministry of AYUSH, Government of India under its Centrally Sponsored Scheme of National AYUSH Mission (NAM) is providing financ ial assistance as subsidy to farmers to promote farming of herbs/medicinal plants throughout the country. Under N scheme, there is a component on 'Medicinal Plants' which is primarily aimed at supporting cultivation  of  herbs/medicinal  plants  on  farmer's land  with  backward  linkages  through establishment of nurseries for supply of quality planting material, and forward link post - harvest management.  Presently, 140 medicinal plants species have been prioritize supporting cultivation throughout t he country for which the subsidy is provided to farmers @ 30%, 50% and 75% of cost of cultivation. The cultivation programme is implemented throu the identified implementing agency of concerned state and the financial assistance is p as per the St ate Annual Action Plan approved for concerned State.

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