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Questions & Answers in Lok Sabha
Generally, the first hour of a sitting of our Lok Sabha is devoted to the Questions and this hour is called the Question Hour. It has a special significance in the proceedings
of the Parliament. Questions enable Ministries to gauge the popular reaction to their policy and administration. Questions bring to the notice of the Ministers many
loopholes which otherwise would have gone unnoticed. Sometimes questions may lead to the appointment of a Commission, a Court of Enquiry or even Legislation
when matters raised by members are grave enough to agitate the public mind and are of wide public importance.
The Question Hour is an interesting part of the Parliamentary proceedings. Although a question mainly seeks information and tries to elicit facts on a particular subject,
there are many a time lively and quicksilver repartees between the Members asking the questions and the Ministers answering them. These repartees are sometimes
coupled with flashes of wit and humour. That is why the public galleries and the press galleries are packed to the capacity during the Question Hour.
Given below are a few selected questions & answers addressed in 15th Lok Sabha with the Ministry of Health & family welfare.
OVER EXPLOITATION OF MEDICINAL PLANTS
Question: Will the Minister of Health And Family Welfare be pleased to
state: -
a. Whether the medicinal plants used in the traditional drugs for
combating diseases like cancer and malaria are being over-exploited
as reported in the Times of India dated, 11th January, 2009;
b. if so, the details thereof; and
c. the steps being taken by the Government in this regard?
Answer: The minister of state for health & family welfare (Smt. Panabaka
Lakshmi)
(a ) to (c): - Medicinal plants constitute the main raw material for the
majority of the traditional drugs of Ayurveda, Sidha and Unani systems
of medicine. As per a nationwide study done by the National Medicinal
Plants Board (NMPB), 77% of the production of medicinal plants in the
country is sourced from the forests and wastelands. Due to open access
nature of the forest resources, over-exploitation of certain medicinal plants
cannot be ruled out.
The Ministry of Environment & Forests is responsible for implementation
of the Indian Forest Act, 1927 and the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 which
have provisions for protection of forests and wildlife, including medicinal
plants. The National Biodiversity Act, 2002 regulates the access to forest
resources, including medicinal plants. The Ministry of Environment &
Forests is also supporting a number of projects on conservation by setting
up Medicinal Plants Conservation Areas (MPCAs) that are primarily
located in forest areas. Plantation of medicinal plants in degraded forest
lands is also supported through schemes of the National Afforestation &
Eco-development Board (NAEB), Ministry of Environment & Forests.
Government has also set up Medicinal Plants Board to coordinate matters
relating to medicinal plants with Ministries/ Departments and other
stakeholders for ensuring availability of medicinal plants of quality to the
industry on a sustained basis.
The Board also supports schemes for conservation and resource
augmentation of rare, endangered and threatened species of medicinal
plants under its Central Sector Scheme of conservation, development and
sustainable management of medicinal plants which has an outlay of Rs.
320 crores during the 11th Plan
www.amam-ayurveda.org 3