The Indian Patent Act, passed by Parliament in December, 1998 and a later ordinance incorporating amendments to the act had excluded ayurveda from its ambit. However, the United States approached the World Trade Organisation (WTO) which, in turn, had issued an ultimatum to India to include ayurveda before April 19, 1999.

The council alleged that succumbing to the pressure tactics of the US, India agreed to enter into a dialogue with them in Geneva in the matter notwithstanding the repercussions such an amendment would bring in the sector, which had been a proud tradition of the country.

In this context, the council has planned a series of agitational measures, including a Raj Bhavan march on March 12,1999, by the ayurveda practitioners and manufacturers who would be the worst-hit by the US-sponsored amendment.

The council urged the Centre to hold discussions with experts in the field before amending the act. It also demanded that the Kerala government take an initiative to declare all the ayurvedic plants as the "intellectual properties" of the state, which had been the cradle of ayurveda.

The centre should declare plants referred to in the Indian classics as "national property" before The foreign countries snatch them away, Dr Jyothi Lal, the general convener of the council, said.

The council also plans to observe World Health Day on April 7, as the Ayurveda Protection Day and would launch a series of agitations involving related bodies and institutions, organising committee convener Radhakrishnan said.

With the inclusion of ayurveda in the act, small and big manufacturers in the sector would face a severe crisis with lakhs of employees in the field rendering jobless. The government should callfor a debate on the issue and if the consensus was that the Geneva talks would prove harmful to the interests of the country, India should abstain from it, they demanded.

As a result of the American demand to bring in product patency instead of process patent, India would lose its right to almost all ayurveda combinations to foreign players because they would claim that the country's combinations had some elements of products patented by them, the experts pointed out.

Dr Nalinakshan expressed apprehension that the demand for exclusive rights would push up the prices of ayurvedic preparations beyond the buying capacity of the common man due to the monopoly of the foreign companies.

Other demands by the US included extension of the existing patent term of seven years to 20 years, opening of a mail box for patent applications, enforcement of plant variety protection bill giving right to the plant to the scientists, now being enjoyed by the farmers, under the plant variety protection and farmers rightact.