Parliament Question: Global Health Research

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF AYUSH LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO - * 197 TO BE ANSWERED ON 12/12/2025 “Global Health Research” * 197 Dr. Vinod Kumar Bind:

Smt. Kamaljeet Sehrawat:

Will the Minister of Ayush be pleased to state:

(a) the details of India's participation in International forums with respect to traditional medicine and Integrative health;

(b) the objectives behind presenting AYUSH-based research and clinical evidence in global forums;

(c) whether any proposals have been made for joint research, clinical observation or capacity- building with other countries in these forums and any Institutions from the State of Karnataka, particularly in Bengaluru;

(d) the manner in which the Ministry is exploring partnerships for cross-cultural AYUSH delivery, safety surveillance, research exchange and publication of scientific evidence; and

(e) whether such collaborations have been included/proposed to be included any AYUSH Research centres and Universities based in Bengaluru and if so, the details thereof? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE (IC) OF THE MINISTRY OF AYUSH (SHRI PRATAPRAO JADHAV)

(a) to (e) A Statement is laid on the Table of the House.The Statement referred in reply to Lok Sabha Starred Question No. 197 for

12.12.2025

(a) to (d) The Ministry is implementing a Central Sector Scheme for the Promotion of International Co-operation in Ayush (IC Scheme) under which the Ministry of Ayush provides support to Indian Ayush drug Manufacturers/ Ayush Service providers to give boost to the export of Ayush products & services; facilitates the International promotion, development and recognition of Ayush system of medicine; foster interaction of stakeholders and market development of Ayush at international level;

promote academics and research through the establishment of Ayush Academic Chairs in foreign countries and holding training workshop/symposiums for promoting and strengthening awareness and interest about Ayush Systems of Medicine at international level. Ministry of Ayush through IC Scheme also sponsors Ayush research & development/ teaching and other collaborations with reputed institutions/ universities in foreign countries; International agencies and UN bodies like (World Health Organization) WHO.

The Ministry of Ayush has following collaboration with WHO:- • Signed an agreement with WHO to establish WHO-Global Traditional Medicine Centre (GTMC) in Jamnagar, Gujarat. This Centre aims to provide support to implement WHO's traditional medicine strategy (2014-23) and to support nations in developing policies & action plans to strengthen the role of traditional medicine as part of their journey to universal health coverage. India is positioning itself as a global leader in traditional medicine through initiatives like the WHO-GTMC. This center, established in partnership with the World Health Organization, is a key step in promoting and researching traditional medicine. It serves as a key knowledge hub for evidence-based Traditional, Complementary and Integrative Medicine (TCIM) on a global scale. This is the global out posted Centre (Office) for traditional medicine

across the world with the following key objectives:  To position Traditional Medicine (TM) systems across the globe.  To provide leadership on global health matters pertaining to traditional medicine.

 To ensure quality, safety and efficacy, accessibility and rational use of traditional medicine. To develop norms, standards, and guidelines in relevant technical areas, tools and methodologies, for collecting data undertaking analytics, and assessing impact. Envisage WHO Traditional Medicine (TM) Informatics Centre creating a collaborative of existing Traditional Medicine (TM) Data Banks, virtual libraries, and academic and research institutes.

 To develop specific capacity building and training programmes in the areas of relevance to the objectives and conduct training programmes in campus, residential, or web-based, and through partnerships with the WHO Academy and other strategic partners.

• Benchmark document for training and practice of Ayurveda & Unani published in 2022 as an outcome of Project Collaboration Agreement signed with WHO on 13th May, 2016. • Terminology document published by WHO in Ayurveda, Unani and Siddha as a outcome of Project Collaboration Agreement on integration of traditional and complementary medicine into health care system between WHO and Ministry of Ayush.

• An agreement was signed between the Ministry of Ayush and the World Health Organization (WHO) on May 24, 2025 towards developing Traditional Medicine intervention categories and index for the International Classification of Health Interventions (ICHI), with a holistic approach and focus on Traditional Medicine systems of Ayurveda, Siddha and Unani. The agreement marks the beginning of work on a dedicated Traditional Medicine module under the International Classification of Health Interventions (ICHI). This development aligns with India’s vision of bringing its rich heritage of traditional wisdom into the global healthcare mainstream, backed by scientific classification and international standards.

• In addition, the Ministry of Ayush has signed 25 Country to Country MoUs for Cooperation in field of Traditional Medicine and Homoeopathy with foreign nations, 15 MoUs with International Institutes for setting up of AYUSH Academic Chairs in foreign nations, 52 Institute to Institute level MoUs with foreign institutes for undertaking Collaborative Research / Academic collaboration and supported the establishment of 43 Ayush Information Cells in 39 foreign nations for propagation and promotion of Ayush at global stage. Further, Ministry of Ayush offers scholarships to foreign nationals for studying Ayush courses in recognized Ayush institutions in India under International Ayush Fellowship/Scholarship Program.(e) The Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS) is an autonomous body of the Ministry of Ayush, Government of India. It is an apex body in India for the formulation, coordination, development, and promotion of research on scientific lines in the Ayurveda of medicine. The activities of (CCRAS) are carried out through its 30 Institutes/Centres located all over India and through Collaborative studies with various Universities, Hospitals and Institutes. One institute of CCRAS is functioning in the state of Karnataka viz. Central Ayurveda Research Institute, Bengaluru.

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