AYUSH BUDGET ALLOCATION FOR THE FY 2019-20
Ayush branches has the strength of Primary Care of Health and despite this fact government could reach to the last person with the goodness of Ayush. Why! Because of very less budget available. The major part of budget is swallowed by tertiary care of health. If proper budget is given to Ayush and Primary Health Care is strengthening, then expenses on tertiary care can be reduced and efficiency of people of country will also increase and ultimate increase of GDP.
Prof. (Dr.) Pankaj Aggarwal
New regime of Govt. of India (Modi Sarkar) has come up with his Union Budget proposals for various areas including Health. Ayush is given Rs. 1939.76 crores which includes all branches of Ayush. If it is compared with the budget allocation for ministry of health and welfare, then it is above Rs. 60000 crores! In fact, it is no comparison at all.
Why I remember Mr.Bangaru laxman?
So far we thought that it cannot be compared but it is not true. In 2001 in a Seminar Mr. Bangaru Laxman, while addressing homoeopathic doctors said that politicians while talking on the allocation says- the total budget for homoeopathy is equal to only the budget of toilet cleaning balls! This very comparison is a mockery of Ayush. But, seeing budget allocation of Ayush, this is still in vogue.
A report of Economics times said that an outlay of Rs 1,939.76 crore has been earmarked for the Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy (AYUSH) sector in the current financial, an increase of 14.59 per cent over the revised estimates of Rs 1,692.77 crore of the last fiscal.
The report further said that the government allocated Rs 40 crore for the All India Institute of Ayurveda, New Delhi, for financial year 2019-2020, while Rs 50 crore was earmarked for the National Institute of Homoeopathy in Kolkata.
For strengthening of AYUSH Delivery Systems, the Centre granted Rs 92.31 crore. The government had earmarked budget estimates of Rs 71.36 crore in 2018-19 which was later revised and increased to Rs 101.86 crore.
Strengthening of AYUSH Delivery Systems include assistance to accredited AYUSH Centres, Central Drug Controller for AYUSH, development of common facilities for AYUSH Industry Clusters and promotion of international cooperation.
Autonomous bodies — Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences, Central Council for Research in Homeopathy and Central Council for Research in Unani Medicine — were allocated Rs 292.31 crore, Rs 118.53 crore and 152.65 crore, respectively.
Ayush could increased of GDP, Read How
So far understood Ayush branches has the strength of Primary Care of Health and despite this fact government could reach to the last person with the goodness of Ayush. Why! Because of very less budget available. The major part of budget is swallowed by tertiary care of health. If proper budget is given to Ayush and Primary Health Care is strengthening, then expenses on tertiary care can be reduced and efficiency of people of country will also increase and ultimate increase of GDP. I therefore urge to this wise Government to reconsider and increase the Ayush budget.
