Bill adds Sowa-Rigpa to Indian medicine definition, Rajya Sabha 2010

It aims to bring Sowa-Rigpa practitioners under a legal framework for regulation, education, and preservation.

Who it concerns: Practitioners of Sowa-Rigpa medicine, the Central Council of Indian Medicine, State Registers of Indian Medicine, and universities with faculties or departments of Sowa-Rigpa.

What the bill does

• Adds 'Sowa-Rigpa' to the definition of 'Indian medicine' in Section 2 of the principal Act.
• Amends Section 3 to include Sowa-Rigpa in the constitution of the Central Council, allowing for elected and nominated members representing this system.
• Amends Section 8 to require the presence of three members representing Sowa-Rigpa for decisions related to that system to be effective.
• Amends Section 9 to mandate the creation of a specific Committee for Sowa-Rigpa within the Central Council.
• Amends Section 17 to include 'Amchi' (a practitioner of Sowa-Rigpa) in the list of recognized medical practitioners eligible for government or institutional office.
• Amends the First Schedule to include Sowa-Rigpa in the allocation of seats in the Central Council.

Also in the document

• The Bill is an amendment to an existing Act (Indian Medicine Central Council Act, 1970).
• The Financial Memorandum estimates an annual recurring expenditure of ten lakhs rupees from the Consolidated Fund of India for allowances to Sowa-Rigpa members of the Council.
• The Bill was introduced in the Rajya Sabha on April 23, 2010.