New Delhi: A parliamentary committee has recommended the consolidation of all AYUSH drug-related standard-setting processes under a single independent drug controller in alignment with the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, and its associated rules.
To achieve this, the ministry should establish a streamlined and inclusive mechanism that actively involves stakeholders in the development of pharmacopoeial standards, ensuring greater efficiency and uniformity, said the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare in a report presented in the Rajya Sabha this week.
Additionally, the Pharmacopoeia Commission for Indian Medicine & Homoeopathy (PCIM&H) and Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS) may come together to coordinate and collaborate in this initiative, the committee emphasised in its 165th report on “Demands for Grants 2025-26 (Demand No. 4) of Ministry of Ayush”.
This will enhance the scientific testing and evaluation of a larger number of ASU&H (Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani, and Homoeopathy) drug samples to ensure safety, efficacy, and quality, strengthening the foundation of research and standardisation in the sector. The committee flagged that the state-wise reach of Arogya Fair/Ayurveda Parv is less compared to the size of India with its 28 states and eight Union Territories.
It recommended that the reach should cover 50 per cent of Indian states in the coming year and eventually all of the country in the near future to propagate the Ayush System for the prevention and treatment of common ailments.
It recommended that the ministry leave no stone unturned in efficiently and effectively implementing the IEC (Information, Education, and Communication) Scheme, thus generating awareness amongst the common masses, especially in rural, urban slum, hilly and tribal areas.
The committee also took note of the financial and physical performance made under the international cooperation scheme with respect to budgetary allocation and set objectives.
It recommended that going forward communication should be made with first-world countries like the UK and the US for promoting AYUSH among the Indian diaspora as well as their native citizens.