Centre allocates Rs 5,000 crore for development of AYUSH

The government has allocated Rs 5,000 crore for the growth of Department of AYUSH and launched an independent National AYUSH Mission aimed at capacity building for the sector.

The government has not only created the new portfolio AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy) but has also allocated Rs 5,000 crore for the same, Union Minister of State for AYUSH Sripad Naik said at a function organised by Sandu Pharmaceuticals here. "For creating awareness about Ayurveda, the Ministry is considering to observe Ayurveda Day," Naik said.

"We have launched independent National AYUSH Mission aiming capacity building for the sector. The mission will ensure creation of a centre of excellence for Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy independently," he said. India and China use largest number of medicinal plants in the world. Traditional Chinese medicines have seen easy acceptance across the globe, but the Indian Ayurvedic medicines, which have seen a 25 per cent rise in its sales in the last ten years, the highest such increase in the world, are yet to gain global acceptance. Our government will attempt to find out reasons for this and address the issues, he said.

Sandu Pharmaceuticals Managing Director Shashank Sandu said, "Ayurveda is a great heritage of the Indian science. During the British era, the ancient medical science was ridiculed. Despite the ill-treatment, a few practitioners and believers of the Ayurveda continued advocating it and its usefulness."

Unlike other medicinal systems, Ayurveda advocates restoration of health and prevention of disease more than cure of disease. Ayurveda is quite popular, being practised throughout the country, including tribal and remote areas where other modes of therapies are not readily available. Though it does not have an elaborate organised structure, it plays a major role in meeting the healthcare needs of a large section of India.