The Hindu Business Line : For safe ayurvedic drugs, laws need to be strengthened

THE controversy surrounding the presence of animal and human bones in ayurvedic formulations prepared by Baba Ramdev's pharmacy could have been avoided if the provisions of the Drug and Cosmetics Act and the Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisement) Act, 1954, had been strengthened.

In a Standing Committee Report tabled in Parliament last month, the Lok Sabha MP, Ms Maneka Gandhi, had taken up the issue of using animal and human bones in ayurvedic products.

Mr P.K. Hota, Secretary, Health, had said that the Government is in the process of strengthening these legislations.

The Ministry clarified that anything that is sold as medicine requires a licence. "As per law, there are 57 books notified as the ayurvedic text and any product contained in these texts is considered ayurvedic drug," it said. Dr S.K. Sharma, Advisor (ayurveda) said that human skulls are not used in preparation of either ayurvedic or unani medicines. Also "ayurvedic medicines are not supposed to contain any banned items (like deer horns or antlers)," he said.

On Tuesday, the CPI (M) leader, Ms Brinda Karat, had said that a Health Ministry analysis report of some of the ayurvedic products prima facie revealed violation of licensing and labelling provisions of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act. She had alleged that some of the formulations contained animal parts and human bones. Even as Health Ministry officials said that the findings have been passed on to the Uttranchal Government, the spiritual leader had, however, refuted these allegations.

A draft broadcast code prepared by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry that is being discussed by a committee in the Information and Broadcasting Ministry has also mooted the tightening of advertising of medicines, treatments, health claims and nutrition.

`Allegations baseless'

Baba Ramdev may be in the eye of a storm due to his ayurvedic formulations, but the spiritual channel that built its viewership base around his discourses on yoga is not planning to take him off air.

CMM Broadcasting's Aastha channel will continue to show programmes featuring him.

Speaking to Business Line, Mr Arvind Joshi, Head of Distribution and Marketing, CMM Broadcasting, said, "We will continue to support Baba Ramdev. We believe that the allegations are baseless and hence we will not withdraw any of the programmes." He added that the channel has not received any diktat from the Government asking it to stop showing his religious talks.

The trust run by Baba Ramdev has been using Aastha channel to not only publicise its events held at different cities but has also been promoting the products made by its Haridwar-based Divya Yog Pharmacy that manufactures ayurvedic drugs used for the treatment of wide-ranging diseases.