In a move that would give a major push to the indigenous and traditional medicines sector which is facing stiff challenges from allopathy back home and Chinese products abroad due to quality issues, the Modi Government has created a separate Ministry —AYUSH — with Shripad Yesso Naik as its Minister of State holding independent charge.
Till now, the AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy) department has been under the Union Health Ministry. However, this is for the first time efforts have been made to give impetus to the alternate traditional medicine that would ensure its position in public healthcare and strong policy interventions, a move which is part of the BJP’s manifesto to promote AYUSH in the country.
In fact, soon after taking over as Prime Minister, Modi has been showing a keen interest in giving impetus to the largely ignored sector. Just a few days ago, he had made a strong pitch in the UN to observe an International Yoga Day, a move which has been supported by 50 countries, including the US and China. Modi had said that Yoga can change lifestyle and create consciousness and will also help us deal with climate change.
As the biggest challenge for ayurveda is the inclination of its practitioners towards prescribing allopathic drugs, as was pointed out by Modi in a recently concluded World Ayurveda Congress, setting up separate Ministry would give much needed importance to the sector.