How to File RTI for Ministry of AYUSH Hospital Facilities and Scheme Benefits

The Ministry of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy (AYUSH) is a Central Government ministry established in 2014 to develop and promote traditional and alternative medicine systems in India. It is a public authority under Section 2(h) of the RTI Act, 2005, and is fully subject to RTI applications filed by any citizen.

Citizens file RTI with the Ministry of AYUSH to obtain information about National AYUSH Mission (NAM) hospital facilities and scheme fund utilisation, the registration status of AYUSH practitioners, the quality and licensing status of AYUSH medicines, and policy guidelines on AYUSH integration into public healthcare delivery.

What Can You Achieve with RTI to Ministry of AYUSH

RTI is an effective tool for several distinct situations involving AYUSH services and schemes at the Central Government level:

National AYUSH Mission — Hospital Facilities and Scheme Benefits The Ministry of AYUSH operates the National AYUSH Mission as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme. Using RTI, citizens can find out which AYUSH hospitals and wellness centres have been sanctioned or established under NAM in their state or district, the criteria for receiving Central assistance for AYUSH hospital upgrades, and the amount of funds allocated and released to each state under NAM for a given financial year. This information is especially useful for communities in areas where AYUSH facilities were announced but have not materialised on the ground.

Practitioner Registration Verification The Central Council of Indian Medicine (CCIM) maintains the Central Register for Ayurveda, Unani, and Siddha practitioners. The Central Council of Homoeopathy (CCH) maintains a separate Central Register for Homoeopathic practitioners. RTI can be used to verify whether a named person claiming to be an AYUSH practitioner actually holds a valid registration, and — if they are listed — what their registration number is and which council issued it. This is particularly relevant when a patient is concerned about whether they are being treated by a qualified practitioner.

Drug Quality and Licensing AYUSH medicines and products are regulated under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940. The Ministry of AYUSH's Pharmacopoeia Laboratory for Indian Medicine (PLIM) and Homoeopathic Pharmacopoeia Laboratory (HPL) set quality standards. RTI can help citizens obtain information about whether a specific medicine or product conforms to published pharmacopoeia standards, whether any quality test results are available for a batch or brand, and whether a product has been notified or listed under PLIM or HPL standards.

Policy Guidelines and Convergence Circulars The Ministry of AYUSH issues guidelines and circulars on the integration of AYUSH services in Primary Health Centres (PHCs), Community Health Centres (CHCs), and District Hospitals under the NHM-AYUSH convergence programme. Citizens, researchers, and civil society organisations can use RTI to obtain copies of such guidelines, funding norms, and directives.

Where to File: The Right Authority

Filing RTI with the correct authority is critical. There are three distinct layers of AYUSH governance, and they are separate public authorities with their own CPIOs.

Key distinction — Ministry vs. State AYUSH Department: The Ministry of AYUSH provides policy and funds under NAM; actual construction and operation of hospitals using those funds is the responsibility of the State AYUSH Department. If your grievance concerns a hospital that is state-operated (even if built under NAM), file your RTI with the State AYUSH Department through your state's RTI portal. For a state body, the second appeal goes to the State Information Commission, not the CIC.

Key distinction — CCIM / CCH vs. Ministry of AYUSH: CCIM and CCH are autonomous statutory bodies under their respective Central Council Acts. They are separate public authorities and have their own CPIOs. For practitioner registration queries, file directly with CCIM or CCH — not the Ministry of AYUSH itself — though all are filed through rtionline.gov.in. State Councils (which register practitioners under state-level qualifications) are state bodies; file with them through the state RTI portal.

How to File: Step by Step

Filing RTI with the Ministry of AYUSH is done entirely online through rtionline.gov.in, the Central Government's unified RTI portal.

Step 1: Register or log in Visit rtionline.gov.in and register with your mobile number or email address. Existing users can log in directly.

Step 2: Select the Ministry Under "Select Ministry / Department", choose Ministry of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy (AYUSH). If your query is about practitioner registration, select Central Council of Indian Medicine (CCIM) or Central Council of Homoeopathy (CCH) as the public authority instead.

Step 3: Select the Public Authority The portal will list public authorities under the Ministry. Select the most relevant one — the Ministry of AYUSH itself, or a body such as PLIM, HPL, CCIM, or CCH depending on your query.

Step 4: Write your application State clearly and specifically what information you are seeking. Avoid general or open-ended language. If your request involves a named practitioner, include the practitioner's full name, claimed qualification, and the location where they practice. If your query concerns a medicine, include the brand name, batch number, and manufacturer's name if available.

Step 5: Pay the fee Pay ₹10 online using net banking, debit card, or UPI. BPL cardholders are exempt from the fee — upload a copy of the BPL card with your application. Note your payment reference number.

Step 6: Track your application Note the registration number displayed after submission. Use it to track the status of your application on the portal. The Ministry is required to respond within 30 days of receipt under Section 7(1) of the RTI Act, 2005.

What Specific Information Can You Ask For

National AYUSH Mission — Hospitals and Scheme Benefits

1. The list of AYUSH hospitals, dispensaries, and wellness centres sanctioned and established under the National AYUSH Mission in State/District — including their addresses, specialisations (Ayurveda / Unani / Siddha / Homoeopathy / Yoga), and the financial year in which they were sanctioned
2. The amount of Central assistance allocated and released to State under NAM for the financial year 20XX-XX, and the utilisation certificate submitted by the state for the previous financial year
3. The eligibility criteria and application process for availing free AYUSH treatment at a NAM-supported hospital for BPL and general category patients
4. The criteria for selecting state project proposals for Central assistance under NAM — the evaluation process, approving authority, and the list of projects approved in State in Financial Year
5. Any circular or guideline governing co-location of AYUSH services at PHCs and CHCs under the NHM-AYUSH convergence programme, and the current status of co-location in State

Practitioner Registration 6. The registration status of Practitioner's Full Name, claiming to hold a qualification in Ayurveda / Unani / Siddha / Homoeopathy — whether they are listed in the Central Register maintained by CCIM or CCH, and if listed, their registration number and the institution from which their qualification was obtained 7. The list of AYUSH educational institutions recognised by CCIM / CCH in State as on the date of this application 8. Whether any disciplinary action has been taken against registered practitioner Name, Registration No. by CCIM or CCH

Drug Quality and Licensing 9. Whether the AYUSH product / medicine bearing label Brand Name, Batch No. XXX, manufactured by Manufacturer Name, is included in the pharmacopoeia published by PLIM or HPL — and any published quality standards for its formulation 10. Whether any quality test results or adverse quality reports are available for the product or batch described above 11. Whether the formulation Ayurvedic / Siddha / Unani / Homoeopathic product name has been notified or standardised under the Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India, Unani Pharmacopoeia of India, Siddha Pharmacopoeia of India, or Homoeopathic Pharmacopoeia of India, as applicable

Policy and Guidelines 12. A copy of the current operational guidelines for the National AYUSH Mission, including norms for Central assistance to state governments 13. Any memorandum, circular, or advisory issued by the Ministry of AYUSH regarding the integration of AYUSH practitioners in government primary health centres during Financial Year

Appeals

First Appeal — Section 19(1)

If the CPIO does not respond within 30 days, or if the response is incomplete or unsatisfactory, file a First Appeal with the First Appellate Authority (FAA) at the Ministry of AYUSH (or at CCIM / CCH, if that is where you filed). The First Appeal must be filed within 30 days of the date of the decision or the expiry of the 30-day response period, whichever is applicable.

For matters that involve the life or liberty of a person — such as a query about the qualifications of a practitioner who is actively treating a critically ill patient — the CPIO is required to respond within 48 hours under the proviso to Section 7(1) of the RTI Act, 2005. If the response is not received within 48 hours in such cases, file the First Appeal immediately citing the proviso.

Second Appeal — Section 19(3)

If the FAA's response is also absent or unsatisfactory, file a Second Appeal with the Central Information Commission (CIC) under Section 19(3) within 90 days of the date of the FAA's decision or the expiry of the FAA's response period. The Ministry of AYUSH, CCIM, and CCH are all Central Government bodies — second appeals go to the CIC, not any State Information Commission. Under Section 20 of the RTI Act, the CIC may impose a penalty of ₹250 per day (up to ₹25,000) on a CPIO who fails to furnish information without reasonable cause.