Sonowal calls upon experts, researchers of Ayurveda to lead movement

Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways and Ayush, Sarbananda Sonowal visited the Government Ayurveda College in Jalukbari, Guwahati on Saturday.

The visit was planned for interaction with the experts and researchers on the 'Ayurveda@2047 - Azadi Ka Amrit Kaal' theme. The interaction resulted in many fruitful suggestions from the experts as the Union Minister called upon the Ayush experts to take the lead to make 'Har Din, Har Ghar Ayurveda' a way of life and bring about a health movement towards Jan Arogya of the nation during the Amrit Kaal.

The Union Minister highlighted the four boosters from the Ayurveda sector that have tremendous potential to generate employment in the country.

The Minister also stressed the idea of the government to handhold the students community in order to propel the Ayush sector in the country and acknowledged the College for taking steps towards evolution of Ayurveda in the region. The Union Minister also highlighted the rich floral diversity of the Northeast to help drive sustainable economic development in the Ayush sector.

Speaking on the occasion, Sonowal, said, "Our rich legacy of Ayurveda has helped and enriched the quality of human lives for thousands of years. Our rich texts in Ayurveda must be popularised for the betterment of the common people's health and to help them live a healthy life. Your research in Ayurveda has given our rich healing practices modern validation which makes it easier to reach more and more people."

"With this vision, under the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, we have been giving laser-sharp focus on emboldening our traditional medicinal practices from across the country. This year, we wanted to celebrate Ayurveda Day in order to create mass awareness of how this ancient knowledge of our own can be found within our own homes and how their application can bring relief & enhance the quality of our lives. I urge all of you to take an active lead in this effort to make Ayurveda a popular mode to enrich the quality of life and make it a Jan Andolan which can eventually deliver us a Jan Arogya Bharat at the end of the Amrit Kaal," he added.

Highlighting the role of Ayurveda in the creation of wealth in society, Union Minister Sonowal identified four areas that have the potential to boost employment generation in the country.

With Ayurveda recognised as a traditional medicinal practice in more than 30 countries, the economic sustenance from Ayurveda is growing day by day as the Ayurveda products are exported to more than 100 countries with an annual turnover of USD 18.2 billion in the Ayush sector. The Ministry has also set up Ayush Export Promotion Council to further amp up exports of Ayush products from India, generating economic growth and employment.

The Union Minister further added, "Ayush Aahar, Ayush Medical Tourism, Vocation training courses in Ayush education and Scientific Cultivation of Medicinal plants are the FOUR key amplifiers of Ayush sector which can be optimised to boost employment generation in the country. With the growing incidence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) among people, the relevance of healthy food is growing. Ayush Aahar brings forth a solution to this gigantic problem that people of modern day are facing.