An Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the National Medicinal Plants Board (NMPB), Ministry of AYUSH and Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying today for research on new formulations in quality drugs for veterinary science through medicinal herbs. The initiative involves capacity building in related areas through training, exploring marketing possibilities for herbal veterinary medicines on a sustainable basis and providing for services including cultivation, preservation and conservation of medicinal plants.  The MoU was signed by Dr J.L.N. Sastry, Chief Executive Officer, National Medicinal Plants Board, Ministry of AYUSH and Shri Upamanyu Basu, Joint Secretary, Department of Animal Husbandry &  Dairying  in presence of Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha, Secretary, Ministry of AYUSH and Shri Atul Chaturvedi, Secretary, Department of Animal Husbandry &  Dairying in presence of other senior officers from both the organisations.

The Ministry of AYUSH will support Department of Animal Husbandry for  developing curriculum and courses for AYUSH herbal veterinary education programs, identifying potential medicinal plant species used in veterinary medicine and provide their standards, training and awareness program on Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs)& Good Field Collection Practices (GFCPs) etc., development of Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) for manufacturing of AYUSH/herbal veterinary medicines, skill development and capacity building, facilitate and render financial assistance for plantations and nursery development for medicinal plants, facilitate standardizing norms for medicinal plants, assist establishing research and testing centers as per scope of the Scheme.

The Department of Animal Husbandry will support Ministry of AYUSH for its expert technical opinion for essentiality, desirability and feasibility with respect to Ayurvedic medicines.  The Department will  create awareness with support of NDDB among dairy farmers and agro-farmers about utilization and importance of herbal veterinary medicine and cultivation of medicinal herbs, develop course curriculum for Ayurveda and its allied subjects in veterinary medicine, identify list of priority livestock and poultry diseases of economic importance with respect to research activity or application of veterinary Ayurveda and allied streams, support farmers for undertaking cultivation and conservation of medicinal plants and related activities, support identify opportunities for scientific and technological collaboration to research institute (Veterinary Colleges and ICAR research institutes).

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