Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurates two Ayurveda institutes via a video conference on the fifth Ayurveda Day in New Delhi, November 13, 2020. Photo: Screengrab via PTI
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday dedicated to the nation an Ayurveda teaching and research institute here in Gujarat that will offer a range of courses and forge interdisciplinary collaborations to give a contemporary thrust to the ancient medicine system.
The newly formed Institute of Teaching and Research in Ayurveda (ITRA), which the PM inaugurated through video conferencing, has been accorded the status of an “institution of national importance” (INI).
ITRA, situated in the Gujarat Ayurveda University campus in Jamnagar city, was created through an Act of Parliament recently.
It was formed by merging a cluster of four Ayurveda institutes at the university campus.
These four institutes were – the Institute for Post Graduate Teaching and Research in Ayurveda, Shree Gulab Kunverba Ayurveda Mahavidyalaya, Institute of Ayurvedic Pharmaceutical Sciences and Maharshi Patanjali Institute for Yoga Naturopathy Education and Research.
In September, Parliament had passed a Bill for creation of ITRA and conferred it the status of an “institution of national importance”.
ITRA is the first institute to enjoy this status in the AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy) sector, said a release by the PIB.
“ITRA will be the first institution with INI status in the AYUSH sector, and this will enable the institution to be independent and innovative in the matter of deciding course content and pedagogy,” said the release.
“The decision comes at a time when global interest in health solutions based on traditional wisdom is at an unprecedentedly high level and ITRA is poised to take Ayurveda education to new vistas,” it added.
A release by the Ministry of AYUSH stated that ITRA will have the autonomy to upgrade standards of Ayurveda education.
“It will offer courses as per national and international demand and forge interdisciplinary collaborations to give a contemporary thrust to Ayurveda,” said the release.
The Gujarat Ayurveda University was established in 1967 by an Act of the state assembly.
It is the first statutory university of its kind both at the national and international level – exclusively devoted to Ayurvedic studies and research, said a release by the state government.
“This university is an autonomous organisation fully financed by the Gujarat government.
“The university looks after the management of the institutes and colleges situated in the campus along with conducting examinations of degrees/diplomas awarded by the university,” it added.
WHO to set up a global centre for traditional medicine
The World Health Organisation (WHO) announced on Friday that it will set up a Global Centre for Traditional Medicine in India, with Prime Minister expressing confidence that just like the country has emerged as the ‘pharmacy of the world’, the WHO institution will become the centre for global wellness.
WHO director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus made the announcement in a video message at an event in which Prime Minister Modi inaugurated two Ayurveda institutions in Jaipur and Jamnagar via a video conference on the occasion of the 5th Ayurveda Day.
“I am pleased to announce that we have agreed to open a WHO Global Centre for Traditional Medicine in India to strengthen the evidence, research, training and awareness of traditional and complementary medicine,” Ghebreyesus said.
“This new centre will support WHO’s efforts to implement the WHO traditional medicine strategy 2014-2023 which aims to support countries in developing policies and action plans to strengthen the role of traditional medicine as part of their journey to universal health coverage and a healthier, fairer and safer world,” he said.
Modi said Ayurveda is India’s heritage whose expansion entails the welfare of humanity and all Indians will be happy to see that the country’s traditional knowledge is making other countries prosperous.
“It is a matter of pride for all Indians that the WHO has chosen India for establishing its Global Centre for Traditional Medicine. Now work will be done in this direction from India,” Modi said.
“I would like to thank the WHO and particularly its director general Tedros for giving this responsibility to India. I am confident that just like India has emerged as the pharmacy of the world, in the same manner this centre for traditional medicine will become the centre for global wellness,” he said.
The Ministry of AYUSH, since 2016, has been observing “Ayurveda Day” every year on the occasion of Dhanwantari Jayanti (Dhanteras).
(With PTI inputs)