PM VRIKSH (Vrikshayurveda)

The Pradhan Mantri VRIKSH (Vrikshayurveda) AYUSH Yojana is a dedicated initiative drafted by the Ministry of AYUSH to promote the large-scale cultivation, conservation, and marketing of medicinal plants in India. Building upon the Rs. 4,000 crore package announced under the AatmaNirbhar Bharat Abhiyan for the promotion of herbal cultivation, the scheme aims to secure a robust domestic supply chain for the AYUSH pharmaceutical industry. It seeks to reduce import dependence for botanical raw materials and enhance agrarian incomes by integrating traditional Indian agricultural wisdom with modern market linkages.

Core Objectives of PM-VRIKSH AYUSH Yojana

The scheme targets the holistic development of the medicinal plant ecosystem to meet the escalating global and domestic demand for Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani, and Homoeopathy (ASUD) medicines.

• The primary goal is to promote the market-driven cultivation of prioritized medicinal plants on farmers’ lands by identifying dedicated agricultural clusters and herbal zones across the country.
• It aims to integrate the traditional practices of ‘Vrikshayurveda’ to encourage organic, sustainable, and eco-friendly herbal farming, significantly reducing the reliance on chemical fertilizers and synthetic pesticides.
• The government seeks to establish strong forward and backward linkages by funding the creation of nurseries, primary processing units, drying sheds, and storage infrastructures.
• The mission focuses on creating a reliable and standardized market for Indian medicinal plants, thereby generating supplementary income streams and crop diversification opportunities for farmers.

Historical and Cultural Foundation: Vrikshayurveda

The conceptual and ecological framework of the scheme draws profound inspiration from Vrikshayurveda, an ancient Indian science that literally translates to “Ayurveda for plant life” or arboreal medicine.

• Vrikshayurveda is extensively documented in ancient Sanskrit treatises, most notably the seminal text authored by the physician Surapala (circa 1000 CE), which details holistic methods for tree care, crop yield enhancement, and pest management.
• The traditional discipline outlines the scientific categorization of soils (Bhumi Nirupana), advanced seed preservation techniques, and planting methodologies that are governed by natural lunar cycles and seasonal shifts.
• It advocates for the formulation and use of natural fertilizers and pest repellents, utilizing ingredients like cow dung, cow urine, neem extracts, honey, and Vidanga powder to treat plant diseases both internally and externally.
• Vrikshayurveda recognizes plants as sentient entities possessing different biological constitutions (Prakriti), aligning agricultural interventions with the specific physiological and energetic requirements of each species.

Implementation Framework and Key Interventions

The PM-VRIKSH scheme is structured to be implemented in a mission mode across the country, operating in synergy with the broader guidelines of the National Medicinal Plants Board (NMPB).

Core Support Components

The scheme provides comprehensive infrastructural, financial, and technical support to farmers, Self Help Groups (SHGs), and Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) involved in medicinal plant cultivation.

• Financial assistance is extended for the establishment of modern, certified nurseries to ensure a continuous and high-quality supply of genetically authentic and standardized planting materials.
• The scheme supports critical post-harvest management facilities, helping farmers build scientific drying sheds, storage godowns, and primary processing infrastructure to prevent the degradation of active therapeutic alkaloids in harvested herbs.
• It actively encourages cluster-based cultivation to ensure volume consolidation, making it logistically viable for large pharmaceutical manufacturers to procure raw materials directly from farming communities.

Financial Outlay and Subsidy Structure

To incentivize the transition from conventional agriculture to specialized herbal cultivation, the scheme provides graded financial subsidies based on current market demand and the conservation status of specific plant species.

• The government provides direct cultivation subsidies ranging from 30 percent, 50 percent, to 75 percent of the total estimated cost of cultivation.
• This tiered subsidy structure covers an officially approved and dynamic list of approximately 140 prioritized medicinal plant species recognized by the Ministry of AYUSH.
• Highly endangered and critically demanded species, such as Guggal (Commiphora wightii) and Ashoka (Saraca asoca), attract the highest subsidy brackets to encourage immediate conservation and large-scale cultivation efforts.

Funding Pattern for Medicinal Plant Initiatives

The financial distribution for centrally sponsored schemes under the Ministry of AYUSH follows a defined sharing pattern between the center and states to ensure equitable infrastructural development.

Critical Facts and Trivia for UPSC Prelims

• The AatmaNirbhar Bharat Abhiyan allocated a specific Rs. 4,000 crore package for herbal cultivation, aiming to cover over 10,00,000 hectares of land under medicinal plants to position India as a global hub for traditional medicine.
• Surapala’s Vrikshayurveda is one of the most comprehensive ancient texts on agriculture, complementing other notable historical works like Varahamihira’s Brihat Samhita, which also features dedicated chapters on plant pathology and groundwater exploration.
• The National Medicinal Plants Board (NMPB), the apex national body overseeing herbal cultivation schemes, was established in the year 2000 to coordinate all matters relating to the development of the medicinal plants sector.
• Under traditional Vrikshayurveda texts, “Kunapajala” is frequently mentioned as a fermented liquid organic manure, historically prepared from animal remains and herbal extracts, which acts as a highly potent bio-fertilizer.
• The PM-VRIKSH scheme strictly complements the existing initiatives under the National AYUSH Mission (NAM) and the Central Sector Scheme for Conservation, Development, and Sustainable Management of Medicinal Plants.