Parliament Question: Transition of AYUSH System

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF AYUSH LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 500 TO BE ANSWERED ON 27th MARCH 2026 Transition of AYUSH System 500. Shri Arup Chakraborty Will the Minister of AYUSH be pleased to state: (a) whether the Government has formulated a roadmap for transition of AYUSH systems from experience-based practice to evidence-based validation through structured clinical research and scientific documentation and if so, the details thereof; (b) the steps taken by the Government for transition from isolated traditional practices to standardized and structured treatment protocols across AYUSH disciplines; (c) whether any framework has been developed to integrate AYUSH systems with mainstream healthcare to ensure coordinated and patient-centric care and if so, the details thereof; and (d) the details of the research collaborations, funding allocations, regulatory reforms and institutional mechanisms established to promote evidence generation and integrated healthcare delivery in the country? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE (IC) OF THE MINISTRY OF AYUSH (SHRI PRATAPRAO JADHAV) (a) to (d) A statement is laid on the Table of the House.The Statement referred in reply to Lok Sabha Starred Question No. 500 for 27.03.2026 (a) Ministry of Ayush has undertaken several initiatives to promote scientific research, data generation, and documentation of clinical outcomes in traditional system of medicine through its dedicated Apex Central Research Councils, National Institutes, Regulatory Commissions, Schemes and digital platforms to generate scientific evidence, support policy formulation, and integration of Ayush into the broader healthcare system. The details are as: i. Establishment of dedicated Research Councils There are five autonomous central research councils namely, Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS), Central Council for Research in Yoga & Naturopathy (CCRYN), Central Council for Research in Unani Medicine (CCRUM), Central Council for Research in Siddha (CCRS), Central Council for Research in Homoeopathy (CCRH), under the aegis of Ministry of Ayush (MoA) which undertake fundamental and applied research, clinical trial, drug research, standardize Ayush formulation, collaborative research, document clinical evidence (clinical research), publish research in national and international journals, documentation of traditional knowledge and public health research, etc. Currently, 89 research institutes and units operate across the country under these research councils. ii. Ayush Research Database Ministry has developed a dedicated Ayush Research Portal which compiles research outputs generated by these councils and other institutions. It is a centralized repository of Ayush research of around 43,000 published research articles at present. These are accessible to researchers, policymakers, and practitioners and promotes evidence dissemination and transparency. iii. Ayush Hospital Management Information System (A-HMIS) A-HMIS is a digital health platform designed to collect and manage patient data across Ayush healthcare facilities. It facilitates digitization of hospital records, captures real- time clinical data, generates evidence through patient outcomes.iv. NAMASTE Portal The National Ayush Morbidity and Standardized Terminology Electronic Portal (NAMASTE) have been developed to standardize disease reporting. These Standardized Ayush medical terminology is in alignment with World Health Organization’s International Classification of Disease (ICD-10 and ICD-11) and thus enhances comparability of Ayush data with global health systems and research. v. System wise Evidence Based Research All clinical trials are registered with the Clinical Trials Registry of India (CTRI), hosted by ICMR (Indian Council of Medical Research). It ensures transparency, ethical compliance, and proper reporting. The Council also employs standardized outcome assessment tools and actively promotes publication of research findings in peer-reviewed scientific journals. To systematically build the evidence base for Ayush systems, each council conducts research across multiple domains. (b) An Ayush Vertical under the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), established by the Ministry of Ayush and Ministry of Health & family Welfare (MoH&FW), functions as a dedicated institutional mechanism for planning, monitoring, and supervising Ayush- specific public health programs. It also supports clinical integration and developed Standard Treatment Guidelines (STGs) for Ayush systems in co-ordination with concerned Research Councils for six common musculoskeletal disorders and five common metabolic disorders during 2024 and 2025. For further dissemination amongst States/UTs, training for master trainers was organised in collaboration with Central Health Education Bureau (CHEB) in October 2025 for effective implementation of the STG guidelines. (c) The initiatives to integrate Ayush systems with mainstream healthcare are as below: i. Mainstreaming of Ayush is one of the core strategies under National Health Mission (NHM), MoH&FW which seeks to provide accessible, affordable and quality health care to the population. To promote traditional systems of medicine and wellness in the country, Government of India has adopted an integrated strategy of co-location of Ayush facilities at Primary Health Centres (PHCs), Community Health Centres(CHCs) and District Hospitals (DHs), thus enabling the choice to the patients for different systems of medicines under a single window. ii. ICMR and Ministry of Ayush through CCRAS have jointly undertaken a major initiative to establish Ayush–ICMR Advanced Centres for Integrative Health Research (AI- ACIHR) at selected All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS) i.e.., AIIMS Delhi, AIIMS Jodhpur, AIIMS Nagpur & AIIMS Rishikesh. These centres have been established to develop high-quality evidence in priority disease areas and create robust models for integrative healthcare. iii. Ayush Vertical under DGHS, in collaboration with the National Tobacco Control Programme has developed operational guidelines for establishing Tobacco Cessation Centres (TCCs) which were launched on 9th October 2025. These Ayush-based guidelines are intended for implementation across all Ayush medical colleges and institutions, with a view to promote a holistic and integrative approach to tobacco cessation. The services proposed under Ayush TCCs include behavioural interventions for cessation support, yoga, meditation and relaxation therapies for relapse prevention and herbal interventions to promote sustained recovery. iv. Operationalization and monitoring of integrative departments at Central Government hospitals of Lady Hardinge Medical College, Vardhman Mahavir Medical College & Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi. These departments provide preventive and therapeutic medical services including Panchakarma treatments. v. Under ABIHR (Ayurveda Biology Integrated Health Research) component of Ayurgyan Scheme, a Central Sector Scheme implemented by Ministry of Ayush, financial assistance is provided to eligible organisations for conducting integrated health research activities. One of the priority areas of this component includes integration of Ayush with modern medicine. (d) The details of the research collaborations, funding allocations, regulatory reforms and institutional mechanisms established to promote evidence generation and integrated healthcare delivery are as below:i. The Ayush Vertical under DGHS provides technical support to both Ministries (MoA & MoH&FW) in developing strategies for public health, healthcare, Ayush education, and training. ii. The regulatory bodies under Ministry of Ayush namely the National Commission for Homoeopathy (NCH) & the National Commission for Indian System of Medicine (NCISM) have introduced reforms such as early clinical exposure, electives, foundation and finishing programmes, and inclusion of subjects like pharmacology, psychology and yoga to promote interdisciplinary understanding to standardize education, enhance clinical competency, promote evidence-based research, and integrate modern interdisciplinary approaches through regulations prescribing curriculum of undergraduate & postgraduate academic courses. iii. As a part of collaborations, the apex Research Councils across different Ayush streams are conducting collaborative research works with various modern Research Institutes of repute. The streamwise details are at Annexure-I iv. Under ABIHR component of Ayurgyan Scheme, 11 projects have been approved and fund to the tune of Rs. 5046.56 lakhs released to agencies/institutes for conducting research activities for drug development and evidence generation and under Centre of Excellence component of Ayurswasthya Yojana, total 28 projects were approved and fund to the tune of Rs. 114.15 Crore released to promote evidence generation and integrative health care delivery. The list of projects along with their funding pattern is at Annexure-II. ************Annexure-I A) Ayurveda In field of Ayurveda, All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA) has signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with 20 foreign universities and institute for academic and research collaboration in Ayurveda. AIIA has multi cornered research ecosystems including Postgraduate and doctoral research. The details of various domestic research activities executed/ ongoing at AIIA are listed below. Total studies undertaken: 85 International studies: 03 International collaboration: 01 Intra Mural Research: 29 Extra Mural Research: 16 IIT-Delhi: 07 Public Health Institute: 07 Industry sponsored: 02 CCRAS has signed 20 MoU/Letter of Intent (LoI)/Agreements with different countries/foreign Universities /Institutions/ organisations to promote international cooperation for the establishment of an Academic Chair. 4 MoUs are currently active in the field of Research and development in different countries. B) Siddha In field of Siddha, Central Council for Research in Siddha has granted 115 Intra Mural Research (IMR) projects and out of this 31 IMR projects have been completed. The details are as below: Number of completed Number of ongoing S. No. Category of IMR Projects IMR Projects IMR Projects 1 Clinical Research 7 18 2 Pre-Clinical Research 9 14 3 Drug Standardization 6 13 4 Medicinal Plants 3 7 5 Literary research 6 19Total 31 71 CCRS has published 949 research articles in peer reviewed and indexed journals. One patent has been granted “Process for the preparation of Pooneru used in the Siddha Medicine and there of” (Patent No: 543375). CCRS along with Pharmacopoeia Commission for Indian Medicine & Homoeopathy (PCIM&H) has published 7 Siddha Pharmacopoeial and Formulary works and recently published, The Siddha Formulary of India, Part III (Tamil version) and Siddha Formulary of India (SFI), Part- I (Revised Tamil Version). CCRS along with BIS (Bureau of Indian Standards) has been developing standards related to Siddha system of medicine and 14 standards are published. C) Unani In field of Unani, CCRUM has published 484 Research papers in different Peer reviewed / indexed National / International Journals during last three years. The Council has established four re-location centres at Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, Dr. Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital, Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi and J.J. Hospital at Mumbai. D) Homoeopathy In field of Homoeopathy, CCRH has taken an initiative to link Homoeopathy along with mainstream healthcare set-up by undertaking Public Health programme of National Programme for prevention & Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases & stroke (NPCDCS). This programme for Homoeopathy, was implemented since Sept 2015 at general districts: Krishna district (Andhra Pradesh)- 09 centres and Darjeeling district (West Bengal)- 06 centres at first instance and further expanded to tribal districts: Sambalpur district (Odisha) – 03 centres and Nashik district (Maharashtra) – 02 centres till April 2021. Another Public Health programme namely, Swasthya Rakshan program (SRP) was undertaken through 11 institutes adopting 55 villages under the Council providing health care at doorstep of local population. National Institute of Homoeopathy has executed MoU with National Institutes of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER) Kolkata, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur, CCRH, New Delhi and Employees' State Insurance (ESI) Hospital, Ranchi for research collaboration. E) Yoga and NaturopathyIn field of Yoga and Naturopathy, CCRYN promotes evidence generation through collaborations with medical colleges, research institutions and universities, and through funding of research projects in Yoga and Naturopathy. The Council receives Government support for research infrastructure, fellowships and project grants, and follows established research governance mechanisms including Institutional Ethics Committees and scientific advisory review processes. The detail of funding is as below: S.N. Research Collaboration Institutes Under Clinical Total Budget Allocation Research Collaboration (CRC) & Collaborating Centre for Mind–Body Intervention through Yoga (CCMBIY) Schemes 1 Samskriti Foundation, Mysore, Karnataka 1.3 cr. is given under the scheme. 2 AIIMS Delhi 3 AIIMS Bhopal 4 AIIMS Jodhpur 5 AIIMS Raipur, Chhattisgarh 6 AIIMS, NCI, Jhajjar, Haryana 2.5 cr. is given under the 7 AIIMS Rishikesh, Uttarakhand scheme. 8 Post Graduate Institute Chandigarh 9 S-Vyasa, Bengalore 10 National institute of mental health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS) 11 AIIMS Bibinagar, TelanganaAnnexure-II Project Title (Under Ayurgyan Scheme) 1 Development of drug master file and technical dossiers on selected single botanicals used in Ayurveda 2 Development of Technical dossier of Trigonella Foenum graecum - Stage I (preclinical studies- oral toxicity, genotoxicity, efficacy, Pharmacokinetic studies and safety pharmacology in rodents) 3 Development of Technical dossier of Zingiber Officinale- Stage I (preclinical studies- oral toxicity, genotoxicity, efficacy, Pharmacokinetic studies and safety pharmacology in rodents 4 Development of Technical dossier of Bacopa monnieri- Stage I (preclinical studies- oral toxicity, genotoxicity, efficacy, Pharmacokinetic studies and safety pharmacology in rodents) 5 Investigation of potential leads from Ayurveda therapeutics for management of Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) 6 Preclinical Toxicological Evaluation and Safety Pharmacology of Selected Ayurvedic Formulations Triphala churna, Lashunadi vati, and Brihat Vata Chintamani Rasa 7 Development of Technical dossier of Boswellia serrata- Stage I (preclinical studies- oral toxicity, genotoxicity, efficacy, Pharmacokinetic studies and safety pharmacology in rodents 8 Preclinical Toxicological Evaluation and Safety Pharmacology of Selected Ayurvedic Formulations - Laksha Guggulu, Dadimadi Ghrita and Ekangaveera Rasa 9 Development of Technical dossier of Withania somnifera - Stage I (preclinical studies- oral toxicity, genotoxicity, efficacy, Pharmacokinetic studies and safety pharmacology in rodents) 10 Preclinical Toxicological Evaluation and Safety Pharmacology of Rajah Pravartini Vati, Phala Ghrita and Drakshavaleha 11 Toxicological Evaluation, Safety Assessment, and Metabolomic Profiling of Selected Ayurvedic drugs and Formulations.Budgetary Allocation and expenditure (Ayugyan Scheme) S. Financial Year Budget Expenditure Revised Actual No. (BE) Expenditure Expenditure (RE) (AE) (As on 12.02.2026) 1. 2021-22 0 8.45 4.49 2. 2022-23 15.50 10.85 9.38 3. 2023-24 9.00 15.00 14.99 4. 2024-25 49.50 27.00 25.70 5. 2025-26 50.00 37.81 37.61 Project Name (Under Ayurswasthya Scheme) 1 CoE of Panchakarma and Upgradation of Pharmacy 2 Centre of Excellence in Research and Clinical Services for Madhumeha (Diabetes Mellitus) 3 Centre of Excellence for Care & Ayurvedic Management of Chronic Spine Disorder patients 4 Centre of Excellence for Yoga & Ayurveda 5 Centre of Excellence for Applied Development of Ayurveda Prakriti and Genomics 6 Centre of' Excellence in Sustainable Ayush for Advanced technological solutions, startup support and net zero sustainable solutions for Rasausadhies 7 Effects of Indian Foods and Ayurvedic drugs on healthy and diseases Liver 8 Centre of Excellence in Unani Medicine (Pharmacognosy / Pharmacology) 9 Functional-based CoE on Ayurveda and Systems Medicine 10 CoE in Ayurveda for Geriatric Health Care 11 Ilaj Bit Tadbeer (Regimental Therapy) 12 Centre of Excellence in Diabetes and Metabolic Disorders 13 Centre of Excellence in AYUSH Research under Ayurswasthya Yojana 14 SDM College of Naturopath and Yogic Science, Ujire, under Centre of Excellence (CoE) component of Ayurswasthya Yojana (erstwhile Centre of Excellence (CoE) Scheme)15 Centre of Excellence in Yoga" at Swami Vivekananda Yoga Anusandhana Samsthana (SVYASA) 16 Setting up CoE in Cancer Research Arya Vaidya Sala, Kottakkal 17 AYUSH Center of Excellence, Center for Complementary and Integrative Health School of Health Sciences, Savitribai Phule Pune 18 Centre of Excellence for Discovery and Development of AYUSH Medicine for Cancer Care 19 Centre of Exellence in AYURTech for Integrative Precision Health and Medicine 20 Establishment of Centre of Excellence in Dravyaguna for Development of Database of Key Identification Features and DNA Bank of Authentic and Market Samples of Selected Plant Based Raw Materials used in AYUSH Medicines 21 CoE - Research Hospital for Rheumatology 22 Centre of Excellence in Medico-Historical Studies & Indian Medical Heritage (CoEMHS & IMH) 23 Establishing National Resource Centre on Ksharsutra Therapy, Department of Shalya Tantra, Institute of Medical Sciences / National Referral Centre for Teching, Research, Training and referral patients care on Ksharsutra under CoE 24 Centre of Excellence in Pharmaceutical Development and Standardization of Rasaushadhies used in Ayurveda 25 Centre of Excellence for Fundamental and Translational Research in Ayurveda 26 Establishment of Centre of Excellence of Renovation and Upgradation of Patanjali Ayurveda Hospital 27 Centre for Excellence for Advancing Homoeopathic Research in the Management of Metabolic Disorders 28 Centre of Excellence in Homeopathy for prevention of Disability Budgetary Allocation and expenditure (Ayurswasthya Scheme)Year Budget allocation Actual Expenditure % of Expenditure (In Crore) (In crores) 2021-22 38.52 35.00 90.86% 2022-23 11.00 10.95 99.54% 2023-24 20.85 20.83 99.90% 2024-25 29.00 20.62 71.10% 2025-26 46.73 46.66 99.85%