SRINAGAR: The Union Government has informed Parliament that the Government Pharmacy in Jammu and Kashmir received Rs 1.05 crore under the Ayush Oushadhi Gunvatta Evam Uttpadan Samvardhan Yojana (AOGUSY) in 2023-24 to strengthen quality standards in AYUSH medicine production, while outlining a series of measures to boost research, quality control and global acceptance of traditional Indian systems of medicine.
In a written reply to an unstarred question in the Lok Sabha on Friday, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for AYUSH Prataprao Jadhav said the Ministry is implementing several initiatives to promote the production, standardisation, research, marketing and international recognition of Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani, Yoga, Naturopathy, Sowa-Rigpa and Homoeopathy (ASU and H) medicines.
The Minister said the Government Pharmacy, Jammu and Kashmir, was sanctioned Rs 1.05 crore during 2023-24 under AOGUSY for strengthening and upgrading AYUSH pharmacy infrastructure. The scheme supports AYUSH pharmacies and drug testing laboratories in achieving higher standards, including WHO Good Manufacturing Practices (WHO-GMP) and laboratory accreditation.
The Centre said AOGUSY also supports pharmacovigilance, surveillance of misleading advertisements, strengthening of regulatory frameworks, technical capacity building and development of quality standards in collaboration with agencies such as the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) and the Quality Council of India (QCI).
Highlighting measures to ensure quality and safety, the Government said the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, and the Drugs Rules, 1945, contain dedicated regulatory provisions for AYUSH medicines, making compliance with prescribed manufacturing standards mandatory.
The Ministry informed Parliament that 118 private drug testing laboratories have been approved across the country for testing AYUSH medicines, while 34 State and Union Territory drug testing laboratories are available to analyse legal samples collected by drug inspectors. Samples found to be ‘Not of Standard Quality’ attract regulatory and legal action, including withdrawal from the market.
The reply said the Pharmacopoeia Commission for Indian Medicine and Homoeopathy (PCIM and H) develops official pharmacopoeial standards and formulary specifications for AYUSH medicines and serves as the appellate drug testing laboratory.
To strengthen drug safety monitoring, the Ministry has established a nationwide pharmacovigilance network comprising one National Pharmacovigilance Coordination Centre, five Intermediary Centres and 97 Peripheral Pharmacovigilance Centres. It also launched the ‘Ayush Suraksha’ online portal in May 2025 to facilitate reporting of suspected adverse drug reactions and misleading advertisements.
The Government said export promotion has been strengthened through the Ayush Export Promotion Council (AYUSHEXCIL), which supports international exhibitions, buyer-seller meets and capacity building. It added that the Ayush Quality Mark has been introduced to certify products meeting recognised quality standards, while WHO Certificates of Pharmaceutical Product are issued following joint inspections of manufacturing units.
The Ministry further said certified AYUSH medicines are being supplied to Ayushman Arogya Mandirs and government AYUSH hospitals under the National AYUSH Mission. It also highlighted recent partnerships between AYUSHEXCIL and Zepto for digital delivery of AYUSH medicines and the Spices Board of India to promote exports, alongside nationwide awareness campaigns through Yoga Day, Ayurveda Day and other outreach programmes.
