Lok Sabha Question No. 1696 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-03-10
Subject: Smuggling of Medicinal Plants
Ministry: AYURVEDA,YOGA & NATUROPATHY,UNANI,SIDDHA AND HOMEOPATHY (AYUSH)
Asked by: A.T. (NANA) PATIL, SUNIL KUMAR SINGH, DEVJI MANSINGRAM PATEL

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

## LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED  QUESTION NO. 1696 TO BE ANSWERED ON 10 TH MARCH, 2017

## SMUGGLING OF MEDICIN AL PLANTS

## 1696. SHRI A.T. NANA PATIL: SHRI SUNIL KUMAR SINGH: SHRI DEVJI M. PATEL:

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

(a)  whether  the  Government  is  aware  that  the  foreign  scientists  and  personnel pharmaceutical companies visit India as tourists and smuggle the medicinal plants after the knowledge about its traditional use with the help of local people;

(b)if  so,  the  details  thereof  along  with  the  number  of  species  of  plants  which  have extinct;

(c)  the  details  of  the  steps  taken  by  the  Government  to  check  smuggling  of  these  med plants;

(d)  whether  the  Government  is  considering  to  launch  any campaign  or  scheme  to  search  for herbs/medicinal plants found in the forests of the country including Jharkhand and Mahara and

(e) if so, the details thereof?

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

(a) & (b): As  per  information  available  with  National  Medicinal  Plants  Board  (NMPB), Ministry  of  AYUSH,  no  such  instances  have  been  recorded  about  the  foreign scientists  and personnel  from  pharmaceutical  companies  visit  India  as  tourists  and  smuggle  the  medic plants after getting the knowledge about its traditional use with the help of local people

As  per  information,  no  hard  data  is  available  regarding  t he  number  of  species  of medicinal plants which have become extinct.  However, according to the Botanical Survey India (BSI), an organization under Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change, abou medicinal  and  aromatic  plants  species  are  threa tened  due  to  various  anthropogenic  activities. The threatened medicinal and aromatic plants are as follows:

'Aconitum balfouri, Aconitum chasmanthum, Aconitum deinorrhizum, Aconitum falconeri var  latilobum,  Aconitum  ferox,  Aconitum  heterophyllum,  Acorus gramineus,  Allium stracheyi,  Amyris  balsamifera,  Angelica  glauca,  Anogeissus  sericea  var.  numularia Aquillaria mallaccensis, Aquilaria khasiana, Aristolochia bracteolata, Aristolochia ind Arnebia  benthamii,  Atropa  acuminata,  Berberis  affinis,  Berberis apiculata,  Berberis aristata, Bergenia stracheyi, Boronia megastigma, Capparis pachyphylla, Carum villosum, Cedrus  deodara,  Colchicum  luteum,  Coptis  teeta,  Coscinium  fenestratum,  Dactylorhiza hatagirea,  Dioscorea  deltoidea,  Elaeocarpus  prunifolius,  Ephedr a  gerardiana,  Ferrula gummosa,  Gaultheria  fragrantissima,  Gentiana  kurooa,  Gloriosa  superba,  Hedychium coronarium,  Hedychium  spicatum,  Hyoscyamus  niger,  Hydnocarpus  macrocarpa,  Inula racemosa,  Iphigenia  indica,  Iphigenia  pallida,  Iphigenia  stellata,  Jurine a  dolomiaea, Kolanchoe  roseus,  Madhuca  insignis,  Myristica  fragrans,  Myroxylon  balsamum  var. pereirae, Nardostachys grandiflora, Origanum vulgare, Panax pseudoginseng, Picrorhiza kurrooa, Podophyllum hexandrum, Pogostemon cablin, Pterocarpus santalinus, Ra uvolfia serpentina,  Rheum  emodi,  Santalum  album,  Satureja  horensis,  Saussurea  bracteata, Saussurea costus, Saussurea gnaphalodes, Swertia chirayita, Taxus wallichiana, Taxocarpus kurzii, Urginea indica, Urginea maritima and Vitex peduncularis'.

(c): Government is aware of the possible instances of illegal harvesting of plants inc medicinal herbs / plants from the forests and their smuggling.

Prevention of smuggling of flora and fauna from forests including medicinal plan primarily done th rough enforcement of the Indian Forest Act, 1972; Wildlife (Protection) A 1972;  Forest  (Conservation)  Act,  1980;  Environment  (Protection)  Act,  1986;  Biologi Diversity Act, 2002 and the rules under these Acts apart from State specific forest relate cts.

The Wildlife Crime Control Bureau is taking steps to prevent and check smuggling medicinal  plants  by  sensitizing  and  capacity  building  of  various  agencies  involv enforcement of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.

(d) & (e): Currently,  ther e  is  no  such  proposal  with  Ministry  of  AYUSH  to  launch  any specific  campaign  or  scheme  to  search  for  herbs/medicinal  plants  found  in  the  forests country including Jharkhand and Maharashtra.

However, the NMPB, Ministry of AYUSH is presently impleme nting a Central Sector Scheme  on  'Conservation,  Development  and  Sustainable  Management  of  Medicinal  Plants' under which project based support for survey, inventorization of medicinal plants is pro different  State  Government  agencies,  Research  Insti tutions,  Universities  etc.  throughout  the country including State of Jharkhand and Maharashtra.

In addition, different Research Councils viz . Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences  (CCRAS),  Central  Council  for  Research  in  Siddha (CCRS),  Central  Council  for Research  in  Unani  Medicines  (CCRUM)  and  Central  Council  for  Research  in  Homoeopathy (CCRH)  of  Ministry  of  AYUSH  and  Botanical  Survey  of  India  (BSI)  are  also  carrying  ou survey, inventorization of medicinal plants in different parts of the country.