National Medicinal Plants Board (NMPB)
Category: Government Institutions, AYUSH & Biodiversity | GS Paper II and III
SEO Title: National Medicinal Plants Board (NMPB): Functions, Ministry, Medicinal Plant Conservation and Cultivation
UPSC Notes
The National Medicinal Plants Board coordinates policies and programmes for the conservation, cultivation, development and trade of medicinal plants in India.
Establishment: Set up through a Government of India resolution notified on 24 November 2000.
Administrative ministry: Ministry of AYUSH.
Core objective: Coordinate efforts relating to medicinal plant conservation, cultivation, research, processing, marketing and trade.
Conservation: Supports sustainable harvesting and preservation of medicinal plant resources.
Cultivation: Encourages organised cultivation and improved availability of medicinal plant raw materials.
Research and development: Promotes the development of the medicinal plants sector through coordination with research institutions and other agencies.
Economic significance: Medicinal plants support traditional healthcare, the herbal industry and rural livelihoods.
Policy relevance: Connects biodiversity conservation with sustainable agriculture, traditional knowledge and value-chain development.
Key Pointers
Established: 2000.
Ministry: AYUSH.
Focus: Medicinal plant conservation, cultivation and trade.
Important themes: Sustainable harvesting, research, rural livelihoods and traditional medicine.
Do not confuse NMPB with the National Medicinal Plants Mission or individual state medicinal plant boards.
Quick revision table
| Topic | Most important fact for Prelims |
|---|---|
| Spot-Bellied Eagle-Owl | Large forest-dwelling bird of prey |
| Cheer Pheasant | Western Himalayan ground-dwelling bird |
| Army Ants | Coordinated group hunting and colony movement |
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| Chunar Fort | Mirzapur district, Uttar Pradesh |
| Barbados | Caribbean country; republic since 2021 |
| Tetrataenium paikadae | Plant species described from Kerala in 2026 |
| Chennakeshava Temple | Hoysala architecture; UNESCO listing in 2023 |
| Combined Maritime Forces | Multinational maritime-security partnership |
| Lead Bank Scheme | RBI initiative introduced in 1969 |
| Rajaji Tiger Reserve | Uttarakhand; important elephant habitat |
| Bhadra Tiger Reserve | Karnataka; Western Ghats |
| Tangkhul Hui and Kombai | Indigenous Indian dog types |
| AS-HAPS | High-altitude aerial platform technology |
| Quorum Sensing | Chemical communication regulating bacterial gene expression |
| Himalayan Tahr | Mountain ungulate of the Himalayas |
| NMPB | Medicinal plant coordination body under AYUSH |
Editorial recommendation: For publishing these on EduInfy or another UPSC preparation website, retain the SEO titles as article headings, use the key pointers as a separate Prelims revision section, and date-stamp news-dependent claims. For the latest species classifications, scheme guidelines and defence developments, rely on the relevant official or scientific source rather than an undated secondary summary.
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