PM dedicates two future-ready Ayurveda institutions to the nation on Ayurveda Day

Newdelhi:13/11/20:The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi dedicated two future-ready Ayurveda institutions to the nation on the 5^th Ayurveda Day today via video conferencing. These are the Institute of Teaching & Research in Ayurveda (ITRA), Jamnagar, and the National Institute of Ayurveda (NIA), Jaipur. Both the Institutes are premier institutions of Ayurveda in the country. The former has been conferred the status of an Institution of National Importance (INI) by an Act of the Parliament, and the latter is an Institution Deemed to be University by the University Grants Commission. The Ministry of AYUSH, since 2016, has been observing ‘Ayurveda Day’ every year on the occasion of Dhanwantari Jayanti (Dhanteras).

Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Shri Shripad Naik, Chief Minister of Gujarat Shri Vijay Rupani, Chief Minister of Rajasthan Shri Ashok Gehlot,  Governor of Rajasthan Shri Kalraj Mishra, Governor of Gujarat Acharya Devvrat, were present on the occasion.

Director-General of World Health Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus gave a video message on the occasion and praised the Prime Minister’s commitment to the universal coverage under Ayushman Bharat and evidence-based promotion of traditional medicines to achieve health-related objectives. The Prime Minister thanked WHO and the DG for choosing India for the Global Centre of Traditional medicine. He said that Ayurveda is an Indian heritage and it is a matter of happiness that India’s traditional knowledge is enriching other countries also.

The Prime Minister said today, on one hand, India is testing vaccines, on the other, it is also increasing international cooperation on Ayurvedic research to fight COVID. He pointed out that research is going on in more than a hundred places at this time including the All India Institute of Ayurveda in Delhi which has conducted research related to immunity on 80 thousand Delhi Police personnel. It may be the world’s largest group study and there are encouraging results. A few more international trials are to be started in the coming days, he added.

ITRA, Jamnagar: Recently created through an Act of Parliament, the Institute of Teaching and Research in Ayurveda (ITRA), is poised to emerge as a world-class healthcare institution. ITRA has 12 Departments, three clinical laboratories, and three research laboratories.  It is also a leader in research work in traditional medicine, and presently, it is conducting 33 research projects. ITRA has been formed by conglomerating the cluster of four Ayurveda Institutes at Gujarat Ayurveda University campus, Jamnagar. It is the first Institute in Ayush Sector having the Institution of National Importance (INI) status. With the upgraded status,  ITRA will have autonomy to upgrade the standard of Ayurveda education as it would offer courses as per modern, international standards.  Further, it will forge interdisciplinary collaborations to give a contemporary thrust to Ayurveda.

NIA, Jaipur: An Ayurveda institution with countrywide repute, NIA got a shot in the arm with Deemed to be University (De novo Category) status. Inheritor of a 175-year legacy, NIA’s contribution to preserving, promoting, and advancing authentic Ayurveda in the last few decades has been significant. Presently NIA possesses 14 different departments. The institute has a very good student-teacher ratio with a total intake of 955 students and 75 faculties during 2019-20.  It runs numerous courses in Ayurveda ranging from certificate to doctoral level. With state-of-the-art lab facilities, NIA has also been a pioneer in research activities. At present, it conducts 54 different research projects.  With the conferring of Deemed to be University (De novo category), the National Institute is set to reach new heights by achieving highest standards in tertiary health care, education and research.