Lok Sabha Question No. 5010 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-04-01
Subject: Medicinal Herbs found in Himalayan Region
Ministry: AYURVEDA,YOGA & NATUROPATHY,UNANI,SIDDHA AND HOMEOPATHY (AYUSH)
Asked by: Kishan Kapoor

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF AYUSH

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. †5010 TO BE ANSWERED ON 01 ST  APRIL 2022

## MEDICINAL HERBS FOUND IN HIMALAYAN REGION

## †5010. SHRI KISHAN KAPOOR:

Will the Minister of AYUSH be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has prepared of any  data bank of medicinal herbs found in the Himalayan regions;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether  the  Government  provides  any  financial  assistance  for  the scientific exploitation of these herbs in the Western Himalayan States; and
- (d) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER THE MINISTER OF AYUSH (SHRI SARBANANDA SONOWAL)

(a) & (b): Yes Sir.  The Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS), Ministry of  Ayush  through  its  peripheral  Institute/  Units  have  documented  Ethno  Medicinal  Plants available  in  the  different  states  of  Himalayan  region  and  published  the  data  in  the  form  of monographs / books as listed below:

1. Select  Flora  of  Medicinal  Importance  in  Sowa-Rigpa  and  Ayurveda  which covers 200 plants.
2. Preliminary Techno Economical Survey of Natural Resources and Herbal Wealth of Laddakh which covers 721 plants.
3. Herbal wealth of Uttarakhand Vol. 1 & 2 which covers 2069 plants.
4. Medico-Ethno-Botany  of  Arunachal  Pradesh  (Papum  Pare,  Lower  Subansiri, Upper Subansiri and Kurung Kumey) District which covers 195 plants.
5. The  Medico-Ethno-Botany  of  Lower  Subansiri  District  (Arunachal  Pradesh) which covers 195 plants.

Also the Botanical Survey of India (BSI), an organization under Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change mandated for survey of plant diversity of the country and the BSI conserves  medicinal  plants  in  various  botanic  gardens  located  in  different  phytogeographical regions  in  the  country.  In  the  Himalayan  region,  BSI  conserves  medicinal  plants  at  Northern Regional  Centre  (NRC),  Dehradun,  Eastern  Regional  Centre  (ERC),  Shillong  and  Sikkim Himalaya Regional Centre (SHRC), Gangtok.  The Botanical Survey of India has conserved 197 medicinal plants in the Botanical Gardens from Himalayan regions.

As per information received from States Government, the Herbal Research and Development Institute (HRDI), Mandal (Gopeshwar) has prepared a data bank of 152 medicinal herbs found in the high altitude area of Uttarakhand. The Department of Ayurveda, Himachal Pradesh through its  Research  Institute  in  Indian  System  of  Medicines  (ISM),  Jogindernagar,  Mandi  has  also conducted survey and prepared an inventory on 285 medicinal plants found in different agro climatic zones of Himachal Pradesh.

(c)& (d): Yes Sir. The National Medicinal Plants Board (NMPB), Ministry of Ayush, under its Central  Sector  Scheme  for  'Conservation,  Development  and  Sustainable  Management  of Medicinal  Plants'  provides  project  based  financial  support  to  carryout  research  activities  on various  aspects  of  medicinal  plants  to  government  as  well  as  private  universities  /  research institutions  /  organizations  across  the  country.  The  detail  of  number  of  research  projects supported  and  amount  sanctioned  by  NMPB,  Ministry  of  Ayush  during  last  five  years  for medicinal plants research in Western Himalayan  States/UT's is at Annexure -1.

The details of number of research projects supported and amount sanctioned by NMPB, Ministry of Ayush during last five years for medicinal plants research in Western Himalayan States/UTs:

| S. No.   | Name of Western Himalayan State/UT's   |   No. of Research Project supported |   Amount Sanctioned (Rs. in Lakhs) |
|----------|----------------------------------------|-------------------------------------|------------------------------------|
| 1        | Himachal Pradesh                       |                                   9 |                             459.34 |
| 2.       | Jammu & Kashmir                        |                                   2 |                              69.91 |
| 3        | Ladakh                                 |                                   1 |                              39.68 |
| 4        | Uttarakhand                            |                                   3 |                              91.02 |
| Total    | Total                                  |                                  15 |                             659.95 |