PMO Directs Ayush Ministry to Address Complaint Against Patanjali Ayurved

New Delhi: The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has instructed the Ministry of Ayush to take “appropriate action” on a complaint filed against Patanjali Ayurved, a company co-founded by yoga guru Ramdev, for recurrent violations related to misleading advertisements of its herbal products.

Following the PMO’s directive on January 24, the Ayush Ministry has urged the Uttarakhand division of the Ayush department to address the issue promptly, considering that the case has been pending since February 2022.

The Ministry of Ayush and the Uttarakhand State Licensing Authority (SLA) have been sluggish in responding to complaints regarding misleading advertisements of Patanjali Ayurved’s products for ailments such as obesity, diabetes, heart diseases, and thyroid, despite numerous RTIs on the matter. In a letter addressed to the Director of Ayurvedic and Unani Services in Dehradun, Uttarakhand, the Ayush Ministry stated, “Since the subject matter pertains to continuous violations of the Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act, 1954, by Divya Pharmacy, it comes under the jurisdiction of the State Licensing Authority, Uttarakhand.”

The letter dated February 2 further requested the examination of the matter and appropriate action, with a directive to inform the response to the applicant, under intimation to the ministry.