11-Dec-2022: PM addresses valedictory function of 9th World Ayurveda Congress
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi addressed the valedictory function of the 9th World Ayurveda Congress. He also inaugurated three National Ayush Institutes. The three institutes - All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA), Goa, National Institute of Unani Medicine (NIUM), Ghaziabad and National Institute of Homoeopathy (NIH), Delhi - will further strengthen research and international collaborations and will also facilitate affordable Ayush services for people. Developed at a total cost of about Rs 970 crores, these institutes will increase the intake of students by around 400 along with the addition of about 500 hospital beds.
Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister welcomed all the delegates of the 9th World Ayurveda Congress from around the globe to the beautiful land of Goa and congratulated everyone for the successes of the World Ayurveda Congress. The Prime Minister highlighted that the World Ayurveda Congress is being organised when the journey of Azadi Ka Amrit Kaal is underway. The Prime Minister said that one of the key resolutions of the Amrit Kaal is to ensure global welfare through India’s scientific, knowledge and cultural experience and Ayurveda is a strong and effective medium for that. Referring to India's G-20 Presidency, the Prime Minister informed about the theme of G-20 ‘One Earth, One Family, One Future.
The Prime Minister expressed happiness that more than 30 countries of the world have given recognition to Ayurveda as a traditional system of medicine. He called for more sustained work to ensure wider recognition of Ayurveda. He said that the three National institutes inaugurated today will provide new momentum to the Ayush healthcare system.
Dwelling upon the philosophical underpinnings of Ayurveda the Prime Minister said “Ayurveda goes beyond treatment and promotes wellness”, as he pointed out that the world is shifting towards this ancient way of life after going through various changes in trends. The Prime Minister expressed delight that a lot of work with regard to Ayurveda is already underway in India. Recalling the time when he was the Chief Minister of Gujarat, the Prime Minister said that he had promoted institutions related to Ayurveda and worked towards the advancement of Gujarat Ayurvedic University. As a result, the Prime Minister said, “The World Health Organisation established the first and only Global Centre for Traditional Medicines in Jamnagar. Referring to the present government, the Prime Minister highlighted that the separate Ministry of Ayush was established which led to increased enthusiasm and trust towards Ayurveda. He further added that along the lines of AIIMS, All India Institute of Ayurveda are also being established. Recalling the Global Ayush Innovation and Investment Summit that took place earlier this year, the Prime Minister highlighted that WHO was full of praise for India’s efforts in the field of traditional medicine. He also informed that the world is celebrating International Yoga Day as the global festival of health and wellness. “There was a time when Yoga was looked down upon but today, it has become a source of hope and expectations for the whole of humanity”, Shri Modi remarked.
Lamenting the delayed global accord, ease and acceptance of Ayurveda in the world of today, the Prime Minister pointed out that advanced science only considers proof as the holy grail. Stressing the need to continuously work toward the documentation of 'Data Based Evidence', the Prime Minister said that we had Ayurveda's results as well as effects in our favour, but we were lagging behind in terms of evidence. He emphasised that our medical data, research, and journals have to be brought together to verify every claim on modern scientific parameters. Throwing light on the work done in this regard, the Prime Minister mentioned the creation of an Ayush Research Portal for Evidence-Based Research data. The Prime Minister informed that data from about 40 thousand research studies are available so far, and during the Corona period, we had about 150 specific research studies related to AYUSH. “We are now moving forward in the direction of forming a 'National Ayush Research Consortium”, he added.
The Prime Minister elaborated that Ayurveda is a way of life too. Drawing an analogy to a machine or a computer that malfunctions due to a lack of knowledge by the end user, the Prime Minister said that Ayurveda teaches us that body and mind should be healthy together and in harmony with each other. Highlighting the speciality of Ayurveda, the Prime Minister said that ‘proper sleep’ is a huge topic of discussion for medical science today, but Ayurveda experts of India had written on this in detail centuries ago. Throwing light on the importance of Ayurveda in the economy also, the Prime Minister talked about new opportunities in the field of Ayurveda such as farming of herbs, manufacturing and supply of Ayush medicines, and digital services. He said that there is huge scope for Ayush startups in these areas. Talking about the opportunities for all in the field of Ayurveda, the Prime Minister informed that about 40,000 MSMEs are active in the Ayush sector. Ayush Industry which was about 20 thousand crore rupees 8 years ago has reached about 1.5 lakh crore rupees today. “This means that there has been 7 times growth in 7-8 years”, he said. He also elaborated on the global growth of the sector and said the current global market for herbal medicine and spices is about 120 billion dollars or rupees l0 lakh crore. “This sector of traditional medicine is expanding continuously and we have to take full advantage of its every possibility. For the rural economy, a whole new sector of agriculture is opening up for our farmers, in which they will also get very good prices. Thousands and lakhs of new jobs will be created for the youth in this,” he added.
Mentioning the opportunities in Ayurveda and Yoga tourism, especially for a state like Goa, the Prime Minister said that the All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA), Goa can prove to be an important beginning in that direction.
The Prime Minister explained the futuristic vision of One Earth One Health that India has put forward to the world. “'One Earth, One Health' means a universal vision of health. Whether it is marine animals, wild animals, human beings or plants, their health is interconnected. Instead of seeing them in isolation, we have to see them in totality. This holistic vision of Ayurveda has been a part of India's tradition and lifestyle”, he said. He called upon the Ayurveda Congress to discuss how a roadmap of taking forward Ayush and Ayurveda in totality can be created.
Chief Minister of Goa, Dr Pramod Sawant, Governor of Goa, Shri P S Sreedharan Pillai, Union Minister of Ayush, Shri Sarbananda Sonowal, Union Minister of State for Ayush, Dr Munjapara Mahendrabhai, Union Minister of State for Culture and Tourism, Shri Shripad Yesso Naik and President of Vijnana Bharat, Dr Shekhar Mande were those present on occasion.
Background
The 9th edition of the World Ayurveda Congress (WAC) & Arogya Expo is witnessing the active participation of more than 400 overseas delegates representing over 50 countries, international students and various other stakeholders of Ayurveda. The theme of the 9th edition of WAC is "Ayurveda for One Health".
The three inaugurated institutes - All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA), Goa, National Institute of Unani Medicine (NIUM), Ghaziabad and National Institute of Homoeopathy (NIH), Delhi - will further strengthen research and international collaborations and will also facilitate affordable Ayush services for people. Developed at a total cost of about Rs 970 crores, these institutes will increase the intake of students by around 400 along with the addition of about 500 hospital beds.
8-Dec-2022: 9th World Ayurveda Congress and Arogya Expo 2022 inaugurated in Goa
9th World Ayurveda Congress (WAC) was inaugurated today at Panaji, Goa in the presence of Union Minister of State for Tourism and Shipping, Ports and Waterways Shripad Naik, Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant and Secretary, Ministry of Ayush, Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha. The 9th WAC aims to showcase the efficacy and strength of the AYUSH systems of medicine at the Global level.
Union Minister of State for Tourism and Shipping, Ports and Waterways Shripad Naik in his address said that the worldwide expansion of Ayurveda has been facilitated by the setting up of a separate Ministry of AYUSH, by Government of India in 2014. He remarked that when one sees the way AYUSH is rapidly progressing today, one must remember that the seed of this development lies in that decision. "Our ancestors put Ayurveda in front of the world. ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ has been the spirit of India since the beginning. In 2015, the United Nations decided to celebrate the International Day of Yoga. Now it is benefiting citizens all over the world. The Ayurveda Congress' activities go a long way in propagating such traditional systems of healing and well-being all over the world.", said Shri Naik
Chief Minister Dr. Pramod Sawant thanked the Union Government for giving the opportunity to host this edition of the World Ayurveda Congress and Arogya Expo in Goa. Dr. Sawant said that the introduction of AYUSH visa for AYUSH treatment is a historic decision. The upcoming satellite centre of All India Institute of Ayurveda in Goa will boost Ayurvedic tourism in the state, he added. He informed that Goan students will get 50% reservation in admissions for various courses at the institute.
Secretary, Ministry of Ayush, Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha observed that in the last 8 years AYUSH has grown tremendously. He stated that by the end of 2022, AYUSH sector will reach 10 billion dollars. He further stated that the contributions of AYUSH in the country's Covid-19 pandemic management have been immense. He noted that the Ministry of AYUSH executed an impact assessment study and found that 89.9% of the Indian population has relied on AYUSH in some capacity for Covid-19 prevention and treatment.
The third edition of the ‘Ayushman’ comic book series was also released on this occasion. A MoU was signed between All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA) and Rosenberg’s European Academy of Ayurveda, Germany to facilitate advanced studies in traditional Indian medicine systems.
9th World Ayurveda Congress & Arogya Expo 2022 is being organized in Goa from 8 to 11 December with an objective of providing a global platform for all the stakeholders, including industry leaders, practitioners, traditional healers, educationists, students, medicine manufacturers, growers of medicinal plants and marketing strategists, for networking and engaging in intellectual exchange to strengthen the Ayurveda sector, envision its future, and facilitate interaction between professionals and consumers to boost Ayurveda commerce. The market size of AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy) sector in the country has grown from USD 3 billion in 2014 to over USD 18 billion now, clocking a phenomenal growth of six times. During 2014-2020, the AYUSH industry grew 17 per cent year-on-year while the Ayurveda market is predicted to grow at 15 per cent CAGR from 2021-2026. Over 4500 participants from all over the world including 400 foreign delegates from 53 countries are participating in the 9th World Ayurveda Congress & Arogya Expo. The Arogya Expo is set to witness participation of more than 215 companies, leading Ayurveda brands, medicine manufactures and Ayurveda related educational and Research & Development institutions. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to attend the valedictory function of WAC on 11 December.