NEW DELHI, Nov 13: On the occasion of Ayurveda Day on Friday, the Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated two Ayurveda institutes – Institute of Teaching and Research in Ayurveda (ITRA), Jamnagar, and the National Institute of Ayurveda (NIA), Jaipur, via video conferencing.
Speaking on the occasion, Modi said, “Everything is being integrated in today’s era and this approach has made Ayurveda play an important role in the medical world. Allopathic and Ayurvedic practices will now go hand in hand. For the first time, the science of our ancient India is being integrated with the science of the 21 century.” Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Shripad Naik and the chief ministers of Gujarat and Rajasthan, Vijay Rupani and Ashok Gehlot respectively, were also witness to the occasion.
While ITRA has been conferred the status of an Institution of National Importance (INI) by an Act of Parliament, NIA has been deemed to be a university by the University Grants Commission (UGC).
ITRA, Jamnagar, is poised to emerge as a world class healthcare institution. ITRA has 12 Departments, three clinical laboratories and three research laboratories. It is also a leader in research work in traditional medicine, and presently, it is conducting 33 research projects. ITRA has been formed by conglomerating the cluster of four Ayurveda Institutes at Gujarat Ayurveda University campus, Jamnagar. It is the first Institute in Ayush Sector having the Institution of National Importance (INI) status. With the upgraded status, ITRA will have autonomy to upgrade the standard of Ayurveda education as it would offer courses as per modern, international standards. Further, it will forge interdisciplinary collaborations to give a contemporary thrust to Ayurveda.
Inheritor of a 175-year legacy, NIA Jaipur’s contribution to preserving, promoting and advancing authentic Ayurveda in the last few decades has been significant. Presently NIA possesses 14 different departments. The institute has a very good student teacher ratio with a total intake of 955 students and 75 faculties during 2019-20. It runs numerous courses in Ayurveda ranging from certificate to doctoral level. With state-of-the-art lab facilities, NIA has also been a pioneer in research activities. At present, it conducts 54 different research projects. With the conferring of Deemed to be University (De novo category), the National Institute is set to reach new heights by achieving highest standards in tertiary health care, education and research.
“Now that you all are a part of the nation’s topmost Ayurvedic centre, your responsibility has increased. You have to come up with a syllabus that is of the international level,” PM Modi said after inaugurating the two institutes.
The demand for immunity boosters from India such as turmeric and Ayurvedic products has grown globally, the PM said. “Despite our nation being very populous, the Covid-19 situation is under control because every household is consuming immunity boosters like turmeric milk, the Ashwagandha herb, kaadha etc. The demand for these products has increased during the pandemic,” he said.
The Ministry of Ayush (ayurveda, yoga and naturopathy, unani, sidda and homoeopathy) has been observing Ayurveda Day since 2016 on the occasion of Dhanwantari Jayanti (Dhanteras).
Director General of World Health Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus gave a video message on the occasion and praised the Prime Minister’s commitment to the universal coverage under Ayushman Bharat and evidence-based promotion of traditional medicines to achieve health related objectives. The Prime Minister thanked WHO and the DG for choosing India for the Global Centre of Traditional medicine. He said that Ayurveda was an Indian heritage and it was a matter of happiness that India’s traditional knowledge was enriching other countries also.
Modi stressed the need to bring the ayurveda knowledge out of books, scriptures and home remedies and develop this ancient knowledge as per modern needs. He remarked that new research was being done in the country by combining the information received from the modern science of the 21st century with the ancient medical knowledge. “Three years ago, the All India Ayurvedic Institute was established here. Ayurveda is not just an alternative today but is one of the key basis of the country’s health policy, the Prime Minister said.
Modi informed that work was on to develop the National Sowa-Rigpa Institute for research and other studies related to Sowa-Rigpa in Leh. “Today, the two institutions in Gujarat and Rajasthan which have been upgraded are also an extension of this development,” he said.
The Prime Minister pointed out that during the Corona period the demand for Ayurvedic products had increased rapidly all over the world. He said Exports of Ayurvedic products increased by about 45 percent in September this year compared to the previous year. He added the significant increase in export of spices like turmeric, ginger, considered as immunity boosters showed the sudden boost in confidence in Ayurvedic solutions and Indian spices in the world. He said now, in many countries, specialty drinks related to turmeric are also increasing and the world’s prestigious medical journals were also seeing new hope in Ayurveda. He said during this Corona period, the focus was not only limited to the use of Ayurveda alone but used to advance research related to AYUSH in the country and the world.
The Prime Minister said “today, on one hand, India is testing vaccines, on the other, it is also increasing international cooperation on Ayurvedic research to fight COVID.” He pointed out that research was going on in more than a hundred places at this time including the All India Institute of Ayurveda in Delhi which had conducted research related to immunity on 80,000 Delhi Police personnel. “It may be the world’s largest group study and there are encouraging results. A few more international trials are to be started in the coming days,” he added.
(Manas Dasgupta)