This one smells good. The ministry for science and technology will soon be launching a National Aroma Mission. This mission is an effort to scientifically augment India's perfumery, essential oil and ayurvedic products industry.
Elaborating on the mission, D. Harshavardhan, minister for science and technology said that Indian perfumery was a traditional industry and its growth could be boosted by injecting the right scientific inputs at various stages. “Right from developing the best hybrids to providing facilities for extraction of perfumes and oils, to standardising—that will be the objective.'' The minister said that these facilities were already in existence, but the work was sporadic. By starting a mission, the industry would get the right direction, and a goal to work towards.
The plants which the Centre for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) will focus on to developing high yielding aromatic varieties include rose, jasmine, mentha and a range of plants which are used as active ingredients in ayurveda.