The Hindu : CD on ayurvedic digital library released

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Oct 26, 2003

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CD on ayurvedic digital library released

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI OCT. 25. After having successfully completed the project to construct a digital library of the 36,000 medical formulations contained in traditional ayurvedic texts to prevent bio-piracy, the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research is all set to prepare a similar library of the traditional knowledge database of South Africa.

The Union Science and Technology Minister, Murli Manohar Joshi, said here on Thursday that several developing countries had desired that the CSIR help them in preparing similar digital libraries of traditional knowledge databases available in their countries and as a first step it had been decided to take up the request of South Africa.

Releasing a compact disc (CD), which presents a glimpse of the ayurvedic digital library, he said efforts were under way to get important patent offices across the world to use the library as part of their search tools while examining applications for patents. It would be of benefit to them also as they too would like to ensure that patent applications approved by them were not challenged later, as it would harm their reputation.

Besides, a committee of experts has been set up to formulate proper procedures with regard to access to the library to ensure that the knowledge contained in it is used for further development of medicines, without harming India's interests. The committee would interact with experts, academicians, NGOs and other stakeholders, including the pharmaceutical industry.

The digital library, which provides information about ayurvedic formulations in five languages — English, French, German, Spanish and Japanese — has been constructed as a follow up to the controversy over the U.S. patent office granting a patent for use of turmeric for wound healing and also in the wake of repeated litigations on products such as basmati and neem. The project was implemented by the CSIR's National Institute of Science Communication and Information Resources and was co-sponsored by the Health and Science and Technology Ministries.

Presiding over the CD release function, the Union Health Minister, Sushma Swaraj, expressed hope that CSIR would soon be able to complete the projects that were under way for preparing similar digital libraries for siddha and other Indian systems of medicine.

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