An Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) on Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (MAPs) has been set up for the North Eastern Region (NER) on Thursday.
This was decided after a meeting between Secretaries of Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) and the Ministry of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy (AYUSH).
The IMC has been setup to create synergy in various programmes of the Union Government to enable medicinal and aromatic plants sector to become vibrant and develop the resources to its potential.
Officials said that the first meeting of the committee on MAPs is scheduled to be held on March 12. The meeting will be co-chaired by Secretaries of DoNER and AYUSH.
The IMC will facilitate coordination among Ministries and Departments in various programmes being implemented on conservation, sustainable management and development of MAPs in NER for enhancing the livelihood and economic transformation.
The Ministry of Development of North-East Region (MDoNER) will be the coordinator for the IMC of MAPs. The Committee will review the existing mechanism or institutional arrangements for management and development of MAPs resources of NER.
“The IMC will identify gaps in the existing mechanism or institutional arrangements, suggest a policy intervention for optimally harnessing the MAPs resources of NER and accelerating the development of MAPs sector, suggest a Plan of Action for dovetailing of the schemes and programmes of concerned Ministries and Departments,” the officials said.
The IMC will also suggest measures for enhancing the livelihood and economic transformation based on cultivation and sustainable management of MAPs resource in North East Region.
The IMC will comprise members from various Ministries, Departments and several organizations in the relevant fields.
