Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan on Thursday announced that the government will set up an exclusive drug control department to facilitate research and development to monitor quality control and standardise the manufacturing of medicinal products of Ayurveda and other traditional Indian treatment systems.
Speaking at the inauguration of the Arogya Expo organised alongside the sixth World Ayurveda Congress at Pragati Maidan here, Vardhan said, " Under the newly created AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy) Mission the Centre would provide funding support to states wanting to set up manufacturing facilities and create manpower for the traditional medicine industry."
"The chief objective of the mission is to encourage integration of Ayush with modern medicine and create a holistic healthcare system that can be emulated globally and which will achieve the universal goal of Health for All," he said.
"Ayurveda is not just a matter of sentiment for us. We work with scientific minds and this government is aggressively focused on research," he added.
The Arogya Expo, which will continue until November 9, features 400 stalls set up by leading traditional medicine manufacturers from around the country. It also has 20 specialty clinics offering free consultation and medicines to visitors.
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The sixth edition of the World Ayurveda Congress, which will be inaugurated tomorrow by Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, has 'Ayurveda and Health Challenges' as its focal theme. It is being organised by the Department of AYUSH, in collaboration with the World Ayurveda Foundation and the Delhi Government.
Vardhan said the government, which has allocated Rs 5,000 crore to the Ayush Mission in 12th five-year plan, is keen to partner with states in creating state-of-the-art research and development facilities, drug testing laboratories and herbal gardens that will help meet growing industry and market demand for quality raw material and products.
More than five dozen classical Yoga postures found eminent choreographic expression in a brief but breezy dance-and-music item on the inaugural day of the Arogya Expo, bringing to focus the wonders that a fit body can bring to the mind as well.
Clad in maroon T-shirts and black trousers, the slim and trim participants virtually danced to recorded music that featured health-related ancient shlokas rendered by a chorus led by a male voice.
