26 June:The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs today gave its approval for implementation of the existing Central Sector scheme, with a total outlay of Rs.321.30 crore in the 11th Plan, in the modified form as per the activities indicated below:
i. Promote R&D for domestication of wild medicinal plants, development of agro-techniques and post harvest management storage and processing
ii. Promote quality assurance and standardization through development of Good Agriculture Practices (GAP), Good Collection Practices (GAP) and Good Storage Practices (GSP) and through development of monographs on medicinal plants.
iii. Develop, implement and support certification mechanism for quality standards, GAP, GCP and GSP
iv. Promote sustainable harvesting protocols of medicinal plants from forest areas and certification thereof
v. Survey, inventorisation and documentation of endangered medicinal plants through periodic surveys and inventorisation.
vi. Creating Gene Banks/Seed orchards to create an authentic source of seed and germ plasm for future.
The following activities will be taken under Survey, Inventorisation and In-situ Conservation:
• Undertaking state-wise rapid threat assessment of medicinal plants through an internationally accepted mechanism of CAMP (Conservation Assessment and Management Prioritization) Workshops
• Setting up medicinal plants conservation areas
efits:
i. Documentation, mapping and dissemination of information on medicinal through a clearing house approach.
ii. Setting up MPCAs/field gene banks
iii. Ex-situ conservation/resource augmentation of endangered species
iv. Develop good collection / harvesting practices and other R&D studies on non-destructive harvesting, phyto-chemistry and & agro techniques
v. Capacity building & training of forest dwellers
vi. Enhance primary processing & value addition at JFMCs level
vii. Set up Home/School herbal gardens.