The National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) has joined hands with Bangaluru-based Swami Vivekananda Yoga Anusandhana Samsthana (S-VYASA) university to inculcate habit of yoga among people by helping cooperatives to set up yoga wellness centres and naturopathy facilities across the country.
The move comes two months after the NCDC under the Union Agriculture Minister launched Ayushman Sahakar, a scheme aiming to involve co-operatives in creating healthcare infrastructure that include wellness centres, Ayush, homoeopathy, drug manufacturing, drug testing, Ayurveda massage centres, and drug stores besides medical education initiatives.
While S-VYASA will provide technical help, the NCDC will make available working capital and margin money to meet operational requirements to the interested cooperatives for setting yoga wellness centres.
Speaking on the occasion after the pact was inked online, Union Minister for AYUSH, Shripad Yesso Nayak said that the initiative would benefit people in the rural areas. He observed that his Ministry supports such initiatives aimed at strengthening efforts in Indian health systems, including yoga, a global movement.
Parshottam Rupala, Union Minister of State for Agriculture felt that a new dimension has been added by NCDC to expand the welfare programmes for farmers under the NCDC Ayushman Sahakar scheme. He hoped that yoga wellness centres would make a good business model for cooperatives to strengthen the healthcare delivery system in rural areas.
Sundeep Nayak, MD of NCDC said that the Ayushman Sahakar scheme with an outlay of Rs.10,000 crore aims at extending financial support to cooperatives. “The scheme has a comprehensive and holistic approach to finance healthcare infrastructure and services. It covers hospitals, healthcare infrastructure, medical education, nursing education, paramedical education, drugs manufacturing, digital health, laboratory services, health insurance and Indian traditional medical systems like Ayurveda, Yoga, Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy.”
Guruji Nagendra, Chancellor of S-VYASA said that a new dimension would be explored through cooperatives across the country.
The MoU also aims to promote skilling of students or alumni of S-VYASA through internship opportunities offered by NCDC under its scheme Sahakar Mitra, Nayak added. The NCDC set up under the Ministry of Agriculture has, till date since it was set up in 1963, financed various cooperative initiatives aggregating `1.57-lakh crore.