The Ministry of Ayush has established Research Councils to undertake, coordinate, formulate, develop, and promote evidence-based research in the Ayush systems of medicine. The research activities of the Councils include Clinical Research, Drug Standardization, Pharmacological Research, Medicinal Plant Research, Literary Research & Documentation Programme, Fundamental research, pharmaceutical research and Public Health Research. The Ayush Research Portal is a centralized digital repository containing a collection of 43,722 evidence-based research articles covering all Ayush systems of medicine. The ministry is also implementing a central sector scheme named Ayurgyan scheme for promoting education and research in the field of Ayush and to support Research & Innovation by extra mural research and education in Ayush by providing academic activities, training, Capacity Building etc.
The Drugs & Cosmetics Act, 1940 and Drugs Rules, 1945 have exclusive regulatory provisions for Ayurveda, Siddha, Sowa-Rigpa, Unani and Homoeopathy (ASSU&H) drugs. It is mandatory for the manufacturers to adhere to the prescribed requirements for licensing of manufacturing units & medicines including proof of safety & effectiveness, compliance with the Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) as per Schedule T and Schedule M of the Drugs Rules, 1945 for Ayurvedic, Siddha, Sowa-Rigpa, Unani and Homeopathy drugs respectively and to follow the quality standards of drugs as prescribed in the respective pharmacopoeia.
Drug Inspectors collect medicine samples regularly from manufacturing firms or retail shops within their jurisdiction and send them to Drug Testing Laboratory under Drug Control department for quality testing and if any sample is found to be ‘Not of Standard Quality’, appropriate action is initiated such as preventing the sale of the medicines from the market and appropriate legal actions as per Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 and Rules made thereunder. There are 34 Drug Testing Laboratories available in State/UTs for testing of the Legal Samples drawn by the Drug Inspectors of concerned State/UTs.
The Pharmacopoeia Commission for Indian Medicine & Homoeopathy (PCIM&H), a subordinate organization under Ministry of Ayush, develops pharmacopoeial standards and formulary specifications for Ayush drugs, which serve as the official compendia for determining their identity, purity, and strength. Compliance with these standards is mandatory under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 and the Rules made thereunder. PCIM&H also functions as the Appellate Drug Testing Laboratory for Ayush drugs and conducts regular capacity-building programmes for Drug Regulatory Authorities, Drug Analysts, and other stakeholders on standardization, quality control, and testing methodologies to strengthen the quality assurance system for Ayush drugs.
Drug Testing Laboratories are approved by the Ministry of Ayush under Rules 160A to 160J of the Drugs Rules, 1945, for carrying out tests relating to the identity, purity, quality and strength of Ayush drugs. As on date, 118 private Drug Testing Laboratories have been approved by the Ministry across States and Union Territories for conducting such tests in accordance with the provisions of the Drugs Rules, 1945.
Further, Ministry of Ayush is implementing a Central Sector Scheme, namely, Ayush Oushadhi Gunvatta Evam Uttpadan Samvardhan Yojana (AOGUSY) to support Ayush Pharmacies and Drug Testing Laboratories to achieve higher standards like WHO-GMP and NABL respectively.
In addition, the Ministry of Ayush has undertaken the following initiatives to promote quality assurance and certification of Ayush products:
- To strengthen regulatory oversight, Ayush Vertical in CDSCO facilitates the issuance of the World Health Organization Certificate of Pharmaceutical Product (WHO-CoPP) for eligible Ayush drugs through joint inspections with State/UT Licensing Authorities.
· Ayush Standard Mark and Ayush Premium Mark are awarded to Ayush Drugs by Quality Council of India (QCI) based on third-party assessment of compliance with prescribed national and international quality standards.
- Ayush Quality Mark Programme was launched by the Ministry of Ayush to strengthen quality assurance, enhance consumer confidence, and improve the Global recognition and competitiveness of Ayush products and services.
The Ministry of Ayush is implementing the Centrally Sponsored Scheme of the National Ayush Mission (NAM) through the State/UT Governments for the overall development and promotion of Ayush systems. Financial assistance is provided to the States/UTs on the basis of proposals received through their State Annual Action Plans (SAAPs), subject to appraisal, approval and availability of funds. Since Public Health is a State subject, the establishment and upgradation of Ayushman Arogya Mandir (Ayush) and Ayush educational institutions are undertaken by the respective State/UT Governments with financial support under NAM. Under NAM, financial assistance is provided for: (i) Upgradation of Ayush Dispensaries and Sub-Health Centers into Ayushman Arogya Mandir (Ayush); (ii) Upgradation of Undergraduate (UG) and Postgraduate (PG) Ayush Educational Institutions; and (iii) Establishment of new Government Ayush colleges in States/UTs where the availability of Ayush teaching institutions is inadequate. Financial assistance is released to the States/UTs in accordance with the approved State Annual Action Plans (SAAPs), the provisions of the scheme guidelines and the availability of funds.
The Ayush Grid project serves as the digital backbone of the Ayush sector, driving digital transformation by integrating advanced technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), and other emerging technologies across healthcare, research & development, education, awareness, citizen services etc. Under this initiative, twenty four e-governance platforms have been developed and made accessible across the country. The My Ayush Integrated Services Portal (MAISP), the master portal of the Ministry of Ayush, integrates all Ayush-related applications and services into a unified digital ecosystem.
The Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM)-compliant Ayush Hospital Management Information System (AHMIS) has been deployed to digitize healthcare delivery and improve the management of Ayush health facilities. Further, the Ministry of Ayush has deployed AI-powered chatbots and virtual assistants in MAISP portal, Yoga Portal, eLMS portal, Ayush research Portal, e- Charak and Ayush Nivesh Saarthi under the Ayush Grid initiative to strengthen traditional medicine systems and improve citizen-centric services. (Details available at: https://maisp.ayush.gov.in/index)
These digital solutions facilitate knowledge dissemination, research access, education, investment facilitation, and personalized wellness guidance, thereby improving accessibility, efficiency, and service delivery in the Ayush ecosystem.
Ministry of Ayush is implementing the central sector scheme for Promotion of International Cooperation for Ayush including Yoga, Ayurveda and other AYUSH systems globally. Under this scheme, the Ministry provides support to Indian Ayush drug manufacturers and Ayush service providers to promote the export of Ayush products and services. The scheme also supports the international promotion and recognition of Ayush systems of medicine, encourages collaboration among stakeholders to develop global markets, promotes academic and research activities through the establishment of Ayush Academic Chairs in foreign countries, and organizes training programmes, workshops, and symposiums to create awareness and strengthen global interest in Ayush systems of medicine.
Ministry of Ayush signed 27 Country to Country MoUs, 16 Ayush Chair MoUs and 57 Institute to Institute level MoUs. Every year Ministry offers scholarships on 104 slots to foreign nationals for undertaking Ayush courses in premier institutions in India. Ministry of Ayush launched the Ayush Quality Mark Programme on 19.12.2025 to strengthen quality assurance and to enhance the global recognition of Ayush products and services.
This information was given by Union Minister of State (I/C) for Ayush, Shri Prataprao Jadhav in a written reply in Rajya Sabha.
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