In fillip to traditional medicine, AYUSH ministry gets Rs 1,939.76 crore

The Modi government's aim to provide a fillip to traditional alternative medicine reflected in the Union Budget 2019-20 Friday as the AYUSH Ministry saw around 15 percent hike in budgetary allocation from the last fiscal. An outlay of Rs 1,939.76 crore has been earmarked for the Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, and Homoeopathy (AYUSH) sector in the current fiscal, an increase of 14.59 percent over the revised estimates of

Rs 1,692.77 crore of the last fiscal. The government allocated Rs 40 crore for the All India Institute of Ayurveda, New Delhi, for the financial year 2019-2020, while Rs 50 crore was earmarked for the National Institute of Homoeopathy in Kolkata. For strengthening of AYUSH Delivery Systems, the Centre granted Rs 92.31 crore. The government had earmarked budget estimates of Rs 71.36 crore in 2018-19 which was later revised and increased to Rs 101.86 crore.

Strengthening of AYUSH Delivery Systems includes assistance to accredited AYUSH Centres, Central Drug Controller for AYUSH, development of common facilities for AYUSH Industry Clusters and promotion of international cooperation. The funds earmarked for statutory and regulatory bodies -- Central Council of Homeopathy and Central Council of Indian Medicine-- is Rs 8.90 crore compared to the revised estimates of Rs 8.89 crore in the last fiscal.

Autonomous bodies -- Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences, Central Council for Research in Homeopathy and Central Council for Research in Unani Medicine -- were allocated Rs 292.31 crore, Rs 118.53 crore, and 152.65 crores, respectively.