In news– Recently, the National Medicinal Plants Board (NMPB), Ministry of AYUSH has launched a national campaign to promote cultivation of medicinal plants in the country as part of the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav.
About the cultivation campaign of medicinal plants-
- Under this campaign, cultivation of medicinal plants will be done on 75,000 hectares of land in the next one year across the country.
- The program has been started from Saharanpur in UP and Pune in Maharashtra.
- The campaign will ensure the availability of medicines and will be a source of steady income for the farmers.
- The activities of the campaign will be implemented through the NMPB.
- All state medicinal plant boards will be on board to achieve the target.
Other initiatives of Ministry of AYUSH as part of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav-
Further programs being held under ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ include
Y-Break mobile app-
- It is a five-minute Yoga protocol, especially designed for working professionals to de-stress, refresh and refocus at their workplace to increase their productivity.
- It has been developed by MDNIY (Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga).
- Through this app, yoga and meditation can be done anywhere in just 5 minutes.
- This module was launched in January, 2020 as a pilot project basis in six major Metro cities in coordination with different stake-holders.
AyushAapkeDwar programme
- Under the ‘AyushAapkeDwar’ programme, saplings will be distributed to households to promote the concept of growing medicinal plants in the kitchen garden.
- It will help households to use the medicines from their gardens for common illnesses.
Prophylactic Ayush Drugs
- The Ministry of Ayush has launched a campaign of distributing Ayush prophylactic medicines and written guidelines on diet and lifestyle.
- In the next one year, the immunity booster medicines and the guidelines to combat Covid-19 will be distributed to 75 lakh people across the country, with special focus on geriatric (people of 60 years and above age) population and the front line workers.
- The kit of Ayurveda prophylactic medicines for Covid-19 contains Sanshamani Vati, which is also known as Guduchi or Giloy Ghan Vati and Ashwagandha Ghan Vati.
National Medicinal Plants Board (NMPB), Ministry of AYUSH
- It was set up by the government of India in the year 2000.
- NMPB supports programs for quality assurance and standardization through:
- Development of Good Agricultural and Collection Practices (GACPs).
- Development of monographs laying down standards of quality, safety and efficacy.
- Development of agro-techniques and credible institutions a mechanism for certification of quality of raw drugs, seeds and planting material.
Source: PIB
