Parliament Question: Cultivation of medicinal plants in Himachal Pradesh

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF AYUSH RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1124 ANSWERED ON 10/02/2026 “Cultivation of Medicinal Plants in Himachal Pradesh” 1124. Dr. Sikander Kumar: Will the Minister of AYUSH be pleased to state: (a) the steps taken to scale border village cultivation model to other remote regions of the State consequent to the January 2026 tripartite MoU between Indian Army, Himachal Pradesh Government and Shree Baidyanath Ayurved; (b) whether Government is supporting deployment of advanced diagnostic tools and specialised medical technology in State Ayurvedic hospitals with the goal of bringing AIIMS-level technology to State institutions by 2026; and (c) whether despite the potential, Himachal Pradesh has lagged behind in national medical tourism boom and what specific investments are being directed to promote Ayush-based wellness tourism in the State? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE (IC) OF THE MINISTRY OF AYUSH (SHRI PRATAPRAO JADHAV) (a) As per the information received from the State Medicinal Plants Board (SMPB), Ayush Department, Himachal Pradesh a tripartite MoU between Indian Army, through Headquarters 136 (I) Infantry Brigade Group, Pooh, District Kinnaur, Himachal Pradesh, Department of AYUSH, Government of Himachal Pradesh and Shree Baidyanath Ayurved Bhawan Pvt. Ltd., Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh has been done on 19th January 2026 with the following objectives: 11. To promote the large-scale cultivation of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (MAPs) in selected border and remote villages. 2. To empower local farmers through structured training, technical guidance, and assured procurement mechanisms. 3. To generate sustainable rural livelihoods while reviving and promoting traditional Ayurvedic practices. 4. To strengthen civil-military cooperation and contribute towards socio-economic upliftment of remote communities. Besides this, Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare is implementing Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH), a Centrally Sponsored Scheme for holistic growth of the horticulture sector covering fruits, vegetables, root and tuber crops, mushrooms, spices, flowers, aromatic and medicinal plants, coconut, cashew, cocoa and bamboo in all states and UTs. Under the same scheme, provision has been made for providing assistance for area expansion of short duration medicinal plants i.e. non-perennial in nature and non-tree species. The detail is at Annexure-I. (b) As per the information received from the SMPB, Ayush Department, Himachal Pradesh the Department of Ayush has started the Wellness Panchkarma and presently instruments and tools related to Panchkarma are being deployed in the selected institutions. As such advanced diagnostic tools and specialized medical technology has not been deployed in State Ayurvedic hospitals. (c) As per the information received from the Ayush Department, Himachal Pradesh Wellness Panchkarma has been started in Regional Ayurvedic Hospital Shimla and Regional Ayurvedic Hospital, Paprola, Distt. Kangra from March 2025 onwards and the said facility is being availed by local inhabitants as well as tourists visiting Himachal Pradesh. Advance booking is being done by the people to book the slots for Wellness Panchkarma by public. The Wellness Panchkarma has been operationalized in self-sustainable mode in both the centres and the Ayush Department is planning to start this activity in other hospitals of the state. Presently, Panchkarma Technician Course is also being run at Rajiv Gandhi Government Post Graduate Ayurvedic College & Hospital Paprola (Kangra) and Regional Ayurvedic Hospital (RAH) Chotta Shimla (Shimla) with intake capacity of 18 trainees each. Ayush Vibhag is also planning to expand this training course in other institutions. ********** 2Annexure-I Name of the Component Cost Norms Pattern of Assistance Medicinal Plants (Mulethi, Rs. 1.5 Assistance @ 40% in general areas for an area Shatavari, Kalihari, Shwet Lakh/hectare upto 2 hectare on pro rata basis for meeting Musali, Guggal, Manjishtha, the expenditure on planting material and cost Kutki, Atees, Jatamansi, of material for INM/IPM etc. in 2 instalments Ashwagandha, Brahmi, Tulsi, of 60:40 Vidarikand, Pippali, Chirata, Pushkarmool) In the case of NE & Himalayan States, Scheduled areas including TSP (Tribal Sub Plan) areas, vibrant villages, Andaman & Nicobar and Lakshadweep Islands, assistance will be @ 50% for an area upto 2 ha. on pro rata basis. 3