Noting that Ayurveda as a holistic system of wellness can contribute immensely to making the world a healthier place, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi made a strong pitch for evidence-based scientific research to gain global recognition for this time-tested Indian system of healthcare for the benefit of entire humanity.
Addressing the valedictory session of the 9th World Ayurveda Congress and Arogya Expo here, the Prime Minister said Ayurveda and other systems of Ayush also have great potential for accelerating economic activities in all areas and creating plenty of job opportunities for the youth.
On the occasion, Shri Modi dedicated to the nation three national institutes of Ayurveda, Unani medicine and Homeopathy in Goa, Ghaziabad (Uttar Pradesh) and Narela (Delhi), respectively, imparting a further push to the Ayush systems in the country’s healthcare delivery, higher studies and research.
The December 8-11 Ayurveda Congress was organised by World Ayurveda Foundation, an initiative of Vijnana Bharati, with the support of the Union Ministry of Ayush and the Government of Goa. Close to 6,000 delegates from within the country and abroad participated in the meet.
Goa Governor Shri P S Sreedharan Pillai, Goa Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant, Union Minister of Ayush Shri Sarbananda Sonowal, Union Minister of State for Ayush Dr Munjapara Mhendrabhai, Union Minister of State for Culture and Tourism Shri Shripad Yesso Naik and President of Vijnana Bharati Dr Shekhar Mande were present at the function.
Congratulating the WAC for organising the meet on a grand scale, the Prime Minister made a strong pitch for promoting scientific and evidence-based research in Ayurveda.
“We have to think why it took for the world so long to recognize Ayurveda despite the fact that it has proven its efficacy over the ages. The modern science works on the basis of validated data and evidences, and we were lagging in that area. There is a strong need to bring together medical data, research and journals for the verification of every claim on modern scientific parameters”, he said.
Noting that things have changed now, the Prime Minister said our Ayush Research portal has around 40,000 research papers for the world to look at. We conducted 150 specific data-based studies during the pandemic period alone. Now we are developing a National Ayush Research Consortium, he said.
Shri Modi said the WHO Global Centre for Traditional Medicine coming up in Jamnagar in Gujarat is the result of our efforts in this direction.
He appealed to the World Ayurveda Congress delegates to collaborate and contribute to the efforts of the Ayush Ministry to see that the entire humanity benefit from the Indian system of medicine based on the ideal of “One World One Health” envisioned by ancient sages of India. Noting that the world over the demand for herbal products has been growing, he said India’s Ayush industry has great prospective. Within the last seven to eight years our Ayush industry has grown seven times to Rs 1,50,000 crore from Rs 20,000 crore . Over 40, 000 MSME units are active in the Ayush sector and the demand is estimated to go up in the global herbal market by 120 billion USD (Rs 10 lakh crore).
The tourism sector also stands to benefit by promoting activities based on Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy. The All India Institute of Ayurveda in Goa can substantially contribute in this direction.
The Prime Minister said Ayurveda is not just a system for treatment but it teaches how to lead a proper life by maintaining the balance of body and mind with right diet, exercise and relaxation.
“When we buy a new car we get a user’s manual to be followed. When you fill a diesel car with petrol it will create grave problem. A computer functions well when its hardware and software are harmonised. Similarly, we need to take care of our body with proper diets and lifestyle. There must be a balance of the body and mind, and this is the core message of Ayurveda.”
