Budget reaction: Dr J Hareendran Nair, Founder and MD, Pankajakasthuri Herbals India
Overall, the fiscal budget of 2021-22 was extremely promising. At Pankajakasthuri, we welcome the monumental increase in the allocation of funds towards improving India’s healthcare system and making it more robust. Over the years, the healthcare sector has been a key driver for economic growth and it is encouraging to see it listed among the six pillars towards strengthening the Prime Minister’s vision of Atmanirbharta.
With the government focusing on establishing integrated public health labs and health information portals, we hope to see a more holistic approach to new drug discovery to overcome pre-existing challenges. In India, while we have, as a nation, accepted Ayurveda as a natural part of our lives and our homes, we are yet to truly explore its full potential – and this has never been more urgent or more necessary than during the current times. This is truly the beginning of India’s prowess as a global centre of science-backed traditional medicine and we are hopeful that Ayurveda will be proactively promoted under the Swasth Bharat Yojana and other public health schemes.
