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Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserted that the world realized the importance of Ayurveda and traditional medicines during Covid-19. The current situation presents the right time for Ayurveda and traditional medicines to become even more popular globally.
Addressing the inaugural session of ‘4th Global Ayurveda Festival (GAF) Virtual Conference & Expo’ (12-19 March), organized by FICCI, Prime Minister Modi said, “There is growing interest in them and the world is seeing how the modern and traditional medicines both are important to further wellness. People are realizing the benefits of Ayurveda and its role in boosting immunity. From this forum, I would like to appreciate the efforts of all those who are working on Ayurveda across the world. This passion and persistence will benefit the entire humanity.”
Highlighting the opportunities, Prime Minister Modi said that with the increasing popularity of Ayurveda, a strong opportunity awaits us, and we must not lose this opportunity. “Youngsters are using a wide range of Ayurveda products and there is growing consciousness to integrate Ayurveda with evidence-based medical science. Other things getting popular are Ayurveda supplements and personal care products,” he said.
Assuring the full government support to the sector, Prime Minister Modi said, “India has set up the national Ayush mission to support AYUSH medical system through cost-effective services. It is also working to strengthen the educational system along with enforcement of quality control of Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani, Homoeopathy drugs and ensuring sustainable availability of raw materials.”
“Our policy regarding Ayurveda and other Indian Systems of Medicines is already aligned with the WHO’s Traditional Medicine Strategy 2014-2023. The WHO has also announced setting-up of a global centre for traditional medicine in India and we welcome this step. This is the ideal time to think about worldwide wellness, he noted.
According to Kiren Rijiju, Union minister of state (I/C) for youth affairs & sports and Ayush and minister of state, minority affairs, government of India said, “Ayurveda is the gift of India to the world. The National Health Policy of India aims to provide universal access & good quality healthcare to all the citizens through increasing the access to improving quality and lowering the cost of healthcare delivery. Medical pluralism is one of the key principles of the new Health policy,” he added.
V Muraleedharan, minister of state for external affairs & parliamentary affairs, Government of India & chairman, Global Ayurveda Festival 2021 said, “With increased awareness, there is a renewed interest in Ayurveda both in India and across the world. The vision is to establish a holistic wellness model to reduce the disease burden, out of pocket expenditure and to provide informed choice to the needy public,” he added.
Uday Shankar, president, FICCI said that the pandemic in several aspects has challenged health care systems across the globe and has turned the world’s attention to our immune system. In Ayurveda, several treatment options are available for enhancing our immunity against respiratory illnesses. In India, several initiatives were taken to utilise the vast potential of Ayurveda during the pandemic. “
Dr Sangita Reddy, immediate past president, FICCI said that the concept of the scientific validation of Ayurveda and its integration into the mainstream is a significant responsibility for India.
Dr GG Gangadharan, president, CISSA & Secretary General, 4th Global Ayurveda Festival and Dr Suresh Kumar C, general secretary, CISSA and Chief Coordinator, 4th Global Ayurveda Festival also shared their perspective on the importance of Ayurveda.
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