Popularization of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy

AYUSH Popularization of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy Posted On: 05 AUG 2025 4:57PM by PIB Delhi With a view to fulfil the mandate of promotion and propagation of Ayush Systems of medicine at National level, the Ministry implements a Central Sector Scheme for Promotion of Information Education and Communication (IEC) in Ayush. Under this Scheme, Ministry organises National/State level Arogya Fairs, Yoga Fests / Utsavs, Ayurveda Parvs, celebrate important days of Ayush systems, participate in health fairs/melas, exhibitions etc, provide financial assistance for organising seminars, workshops, conferences and conduct multimedia campaigns etc. to create awareness among citizens. Further, the Ministry of Ayush has developed the Central Sector Scheme for Promotion of International Co- operation in Ayush (IC Scheme) for generation of awareness about Ayush systems of medicine in International arena. Under this Scheme, the Ministry provides support to Indian Ayush drug manufacturers / Ayush service providers to give boost to the export of Ayush products and services; facilitates the International promotion, development and recognition of Ayush systems 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. Under this scheme, 25 Country to Country Memorandum of Understanding(s) (MoUs), 15 Ayush Chair MoUs and 52 Institute to Institute level MoUs have been signed. Besides, the Ministry is implementing the Centrally Sponsored Scheme of National Ayush Mission (NAM) through State/UT Governments for development & promotion of Ayush systems of medicine. State/UT Governments may avail financial assistance by submitting proposals through State Annual Action Plans (SAAPs) as per NAM guidelines. The Ministry of Ayush has been celebrating Ayurveda Day annually since 2016 to promote, propagate, and popularize Ayurveda. The Ministry selects a specific theme each year for the celebration of Ayurveda Day and various activities are organized by stakeholders across the country and globally, aligned with the chosen theme. The Ministry also instituted the National Dhanwantari Ayurveda Award, comprising a citation, trophy (Dhanwantari statue), and a cash prize of ₹5 lakh, to be conferred on Ayurveda Day to eminent Vaidyas and Ayurveda experts in recognition of excellence and to encourage best practices in the field. At the initiative of Hon’ble Prime Minister, the United Nations General Assembly took a historic decision in 2014 to declare 21st June as the International Day of Yoga. The Ministry of Ayush is the nodal Ministry for observation of the International Day of Yoga (IDY) every year. IDY observation is focused on a Mass Yoga demonstration based on Common Yoga Protocol (CYP) which is publicly available on the Yoga Portal (yoga.ayush.gov.in). Considering the need of Yoga enthusiasts worldwide, the Ministry has developed Yoga Break (Y-Break) mobile application. This app is especially designed for persons at work place so as to keep them stay fit and healthy with a view to increase productivity. The Ministry of Ayush and World Health Organization (WHO) had jointly undertaken a project, named, m- Yoga in the year 2019. This envisages the concept of the ‘Be Healthy, Be Mobile’ (BHBM) under the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals to achieve Universal Health Coverage by 2030.The m-Yoga mobile App was launched by Hon’ble Prime Minister of India on June 21, 2021 on the occasion of International Day of Yoga-2021. Moreover, for the purpose of promotion of Ayurveda and Yoga & Naturopathy, Ministry of Ayush has established 02 (two) Research Councils [Central Council for Research and Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS) and(Central Council for Research in Yoga & Naturopathy) CCRYN] and 9 (nine) National Institutes, as per details at Annexure-I. These Councils / Institutions alongwith their peripheral institutes/units/centres are providing treatment through General Outpatient Department (OPD), Reproductive and Child Health (RCH) OPD, Geriatric OPD, Non-Communicable Disease (NCD) Clinic etc. and also engaged in awareness activities to popularize Ayurveda and Yoga & Naturopathy. The details of activities to popularize Ayurveda and Yoga & Naturopathy by Research Councils and National Institutions under the Ministry are mentioned at Annexure-II and Annexure-III respectively. In Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS) there are 111 Ayush Wellness Centres (including 44 Ayurvedic Wellness Centres) across the country and 01 Ayurvedic Hospital at Aliganj Lodhi Road, New Delhi. Further, 26 Ayurvedic Units have also been sanctioned. As of now, 35 Private Ayush Day Care Therapy Centres are empanelled under CGHS Delhi/NCR only. Currently the empanelment of Private Ayush Day Care Centres is limited to Delhi/NCR. Annexure-I Details of Research Councils and National Institutes Functioning under the Ministry of Ayush Research Councils: S l . Name of Research Council No. 1 Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS) Central Council for Research in Yoga and Naturopathy 2 (CCRYN) National Institutes: S l . Name of Institute No. National Institute of Ayurveda (NIA) 1 Jaipur (cid:108) Panchkula (Satellite Centre) (cid:108) All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA) 2 New Delhi (cid:108) Goa (Satellite Centre) (cid:108) 3 Rashtriya Ayurveda Vidyapeeth (RAV), Delhi 4 Institute of Teaching & Research in Ayurveda (ITRA), Jamnagar 5 Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga (MDNIY), New Delhi 6 National Institute of Naturopathy (NIN), Pune 7 National Institute of Sowa Rigpa (NISR), Leh 8 North Eastern Institute of Ayurveda & Homoeopathy (NEIAH), Shillong North Eastern Institute of Ayurveda and Folk Medicine Research (NEIAFMR), 9 PasighatAnnexure-II Activities to promote Ayush by Research Councils 1. Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS): To promote and popularize Ayurveda, CCRAS under the aegis of Ministry of Ayush, provides clinical care and engages in awareness activities through its Information Education and Communication (IEC) activities through its network of 30 peripheral Institutes. CCRAS has been engaged in popularizing Ayurveda among the masses through electronic and print media for common people in English, Hindi, and regional languages, which are widely distributed through National/State level Arogya Melas, Health camps, exhibitions, expos, etc., and also through CCRAS outreach programs viz. Schedule Caste Sub Plan (SCSP) Research Program, Tribal Health Care Research Program (THCRP), etc., in different states of the country through its robust 30 peripheral institutes. The Council’s website is also generally embodied with IEC materials and hyperlinked with other important websites that provide information for wider utility. The Council has three journals named Journal of Drug Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (JDRAS), Journal of Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (JRAS), and Journal of Indian Medical Heritage (JIMH) which is also available electronically in the public domain free of cost to enable dissemination of the outcomes of research among the public. The CCRAS is also publishing CCRAS Bulletin quarterly for the dissemination of Research outcomes in common languages for the general public. So far, the Council has published multiple books, monographs, and technical reports, and they are being sold or distributed to disseminate research outcomes and merits of Ayurveda at large. 2. Central Council for Research in Yoga & Naturopathy (CCRYN): The efforts being made by the CCRYN to promote and popularize Yoga & Naturopathy in country are as under: a. Establishment of Post Graduate Institutes of Yoga and Naturopathy Education and Research (PGIYNER) with 200 bedded Yoga and Naturopathy hospital at Jhajjar, Haryana and Nagamangla, Karnataka. b. Establishment of Central Research Institutes of Yoga & Naturopathy in Odisha, West Bengal, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh along with 100 bedded indoor hospital facilities to carry out in depth research studies to establish the efficacy of Yoga and Naturopathy in various remedies. c. Collaborative Research Centres (CRC): The Council is running a scheme of establishing collaborative Research Centres to undertake Collaborative Research with leading Medical as well as Yoga and Naturopathy Institutions. So far, four such centres are functioning. One each at National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bangalore; Defence Institute of Physiology and Allied Sciences (DIPAS), Delhi, Samskriti Foundation, Mysore, Karnataka and Kaivalyadhama Yoga Institute of Research Centre, Lonavala conducting collaborative research. d. Establishment of Yoga and Naturopathy OPDs/ Wellness Centres: The Council has already opened Yoga and Naturopathy OPDs/ Wellness Centres in Govt. Hospitals/Institutes of Delhi, Haryana, Odisha, Tripura, Madhya Pradesh. The Council also participates in Health melas/ exhibition organized by Ministry of Ayush and other organizations for promotion of the system. e. Centre for Mind Body Intervention through Yoga: CCRYN has setup Centre for Mind Body Intervention through Yoga (CMBIY) in various States. Annexure-III Details of activities to promote and popularize Ayurveda and Yoga & Naturopathy by National Institutes 1. The National Institute of Ayurveda (NIA) took the following major steps and achieved milestones in the popularization of Ayurveda Education, Training, Research, Patient Care & Hospital Activitiespropagation of Ayurveda etc:- From an affiliated Institute, achieved the Status of a Deemed to be University. (cid:108) Established an Extension Centre named National Institute of Ayurveda at Panchkula. (Institute (cid:108) commenced functioning with Graduate Program in 2024). Conducting Graduate Program, Post-Graduate Program, Post-Doctoral Program, 6 Post-Graduate (cid:108) Interdisciplinary Program, Diploma Program, One Year Panchakarma Technician Program and various Short Term Programs. Satellite Centres with OPD etc. launched at North-Western Railway Hospital and in different areas (cid:108) of the City of Jaipur. OPD exclusively for SC and ST Population launched at Jamwa Ramgarh. (cid:108) Accreditation and certification like NAAC A-Grade, NABH, GMP, NABL, FSSAI, ISO for (cid:108) Hospital Lab, Guinness World Record etc. achieved. Member of Association of Indian Universities and Association of Commonwealth Universities. (cid:108) 20 Applications filed for Patents. (cid:108) 2 International and 35 domestic MOUs entered into for Drug Trials, Research, Treatment, Literary (cid:108) Research, Providing Expertise, Exchange of Faculty, Information etc. Reserved Seats in UG, PG, Ph.D. for Foreign Nationals. 50 foreign nationals from more than 20 (cid:108) countries are now undergoing these Programs. 2. North Eastern Institute of Ayurveda and Homoeopathy (NEIAH) has taken various steps to promote Ayush systems of medicine. In this connection, the Institute regularly gives free consultation in the Institute Hospitals (both OPD & IPD) and conducts free Medical & Awareness Camps at villages, schools, Govt. Departments, Military personnel and at community levels. NEIAH organized National Seminars/ workshops, Panel discussions and “Doctor se Mileye” in All India Radio, Shillong in English, Hindi and Regional Language (Khasi) and also conducted TV Talk shows on Ayurveda in Doordarshan Kendra, Shillong etc,. The Institute conducted Health camps under the Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan (PM-JANMAN) programmes. The Institute is also running Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery (BAMS) and Bachelor of Homeopathic Medicine and Surgery (BHMS) courses and One-year Panchakarma Technician Certificate course. Panchakarma Therapy Training to Medical Officers (Ayurveda) of neighbouring States is also undertaken by NEIAH. 3. Institute of Teaching and Research in Ayurveda (ITRA) has been designated as the first ever "Institute of National Importance (INI)" in the Ayush sector in Oct 2020 through a parliamentary act. This step helps in development of new innovative syllabus and in turn, help in the popularization of Ayurveda. ITRA participates in the celebration of Ayurveda Day, International Yoga Day, Desh ka Prakriti Parikshana, Poshana Pakhwada, and Pashana Maaha, etc, national programs to popularize Ayurveda and Yoga through various means. 4. North Eastern Institute of Ayurveda & Folk Medicine Research (NEIAFMR) has started an Ayurveda college with an intake of 30 students in 2024-25. Also various activities like health camps, National events are carried out regularly. 5. The All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA), an autonomous body under the Ministry of Ayush, was inaugurated in 2017 by Hon’ble Prime Minister. It is India’s first NABH-accredited 200 bedded tertiary care public Ayurveda hospital, offering OPD/IPD services, integrative healthcare, and specialized clinics. AIIA has treated over 28 lakh OPD and 19,600 IPD patients since its inception. AIIA received NAAC accreditation A++ in it’s very first cycle of assessment, offers UG, PG, and PhD programs in Ayurveda and excels in research with cutting- edge labs and global collaborations. AIIA, is accredited and affiliated from Healthcare Sector Skill Council (HSSC) and Ayurveda Training Accreditation Board(ATAB) for certification programs like Panchakarma Technician, Ayurveda Dietician, Kshara Karma Technician and Ayurveda Ahara and Poshana Sahayak. Yoga Foundation course accredited by YCB is running at AIIA. AIIA also received ISO 9001:2015 Certified for Quality Management System. It has undertaken 6 Public Health Initiative projects and served as a COVID Health Center. AIIA has signed 82 MoUs worldwide and provides services through satellite centers in Goa, and extensions at LBSNAA Mussoorie (Uttarakhand), Ektanagar (Gujarat), VMMC Safdarjung Hospital New Delhi, Supreme Court of India, IIT-Delhi and National Cancer Institute-AIIMS Jhajjar (Haryana). AIIA is also contributing to the promotion of the Ayurvedic system of medicine through OPD, IPD, 45 specialists clinics, camps, Public Health Initiatives etc. Publishing three peer reviewed quarterly Journals: Journal of Ayurveda Case Reports (J AyuCaRe), International Journal of Ayurveda Research (IJAR) & Ayush Journal of Integrative Oncology (AJIO). AIIA has also established Incubation Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (AIIA-iCAINE) for funding and mentoring winners of Smart India Hackathon, facilitating start-ups for product display at exhibitions, mentoring support to Start-ups, creating awareness of entrepreneurship and networking of start-ups 6. The National Institute of Naturopathy (NIN) with the active support of Ministry of Ayush has set up its two additional extension units namely NIN Nisarg Gram, Yewalewadi, Pune City (2024) and NIN Nisarg Arogya Sadhana Kendra, Gohe (Budruk), Dist. Pune (2020), Maharashtra with the aim to propagate and promote Naturopathy and Yoga services to the general public by providing naturopathy treatments, conducting, workshops, seminars, lectures through In-house and outreach mode facility across the country, imparting education to the students by conducting Treatment Assistant Training Course (TATC) and by running skill development courses/certificate courses and fellowship programs including Gandhian studies through its OPD/IPD department. NIN entered into Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with 20 organizations to promote and propagate Yoga and Naturopathy services and research. NIN is the first Naturopathy institution which got NABH accreditation in April, 2018. 7. The Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga (MDNIY) plays a multifaceted role in promoting and developing Yoga. It acts as a centre of excellence, focusing on education, training, therapy, and research related to Yoga. This information was given by Union Minister of State (I/C) of the Ministry of Ayush, Shri Prataprao Jadhav in a written reply in Rajya Sabha today. *** MV/GS/SG (Release ID: 2152585)