NIA celebrates sixth National Ayurveda Day 2021

The National Institute of Ayurveda (NIA), Jaipur, recently commemorated the sixth National Ayurveda Day by hosting a two-day event to encourage the Ayurvedic principles of wellness and healing in alignment with the theme, ‘Ayurveda for Poshan.’ India is striving to become the global centre for traditional medicine and there is increasing collaboration between states and central government to make advancements in the field of AYUSH.

Speaking as the Chief Guest of the programme, Sarbanand Sonowal, Union Minister of AYUSH, announced the release of Rs 260 crores for expanding the infrastructure of NIA’s satellite centre of Panchkula, Himachal Pradesh.

He said, “Ayurveda can play an important role in raising awareness among the public about the necessity and importance of leading a disease-free, healthy and long life, both physical and mental. The potential of Ayurveda in maintaining a healthy lifestyle and how it can contribute significantly to lower the burden of non-communicable diseases in India is immense. There is an urgent need to raise awareness about the strength of Ayurveda treatment as India has a rich resource for plant-based medicines along with a glorious ancient history of practising Ayurveda Shashtra. Considering the tremendous achievements of NIA, Ministry of AYUSH has decided to expand the infrastructure of NIA at Panchkula and Rs 260 crores have been released to NIA and it is hoped that NIA will glorify the practice of Ayurveda globally.”

Adding to it, Dr Munjpara Mahendrabhai Kalubhai, Union Minister of State for AYUSH, Women and Child Welfare, said, “The COVID pandemic has amply emphasised on the importance of wellness and preventive care to live a healthy life. We need to focus on showcasing the tremendous potential of Ayurveda to the world. Today, many first-world countries are also looking up to Ayurveda for treatment and cure. The current generation should uphold the Ayurveda principle of diet to lead a disease-free and healthy lifestyle.”

Dr Raghu Sharma, Minister for Medical Education, Health and Indian Systems of Medicine, Rajasthan, said, “Ayurveda is integral to Rajasthan and its culture. We have been practising it for ages. This year’s theme, Ayurveda for Poshan couldn’t be more relevant to address the issue of malnutrition and sedentary lifestyle-induced NCDs. The theme should resonate across the country to bring about a change in people’s lives and for this, we should strengthen the research in this field.”

The minister also reassured that the Government of Rajasthan will extend all help to NIA to build and strengthen capacities and resources and continue the path to make Rajasthan a global attraction in the field of Ayurveda.

Ramcharan Bohra, Member of Parliament from Jaipur, said, “Rajasthan needs a special recognition in practising Ayurveda under Ayushman Bharat and NIA will lead the field of Ayurveda research.”

The event saw the release of Ayurveda Swasthya Samiksha, a handbook containing daily routines; Ayurveda for Poshan, a booklet; NIA Nutri Cookies suitable for children and adults; digitised versions of three rare publications: the Charaka Samhita with Charaka-Nyasa commentary of Acharya Bhattar Harichandra and Charak-Panjika of Acharya Swamikumar; Charaka Samhita with Charaka Pradipika commentary written in the early 20th century by Acharya Jyotish Chandra Saraswati and Chakradutta with Ratnaprabha of Nishchala Kar and Tattvachadrika.

In addition, a special manuscript website portal was launched. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was also signed between Mahavir Jaipuriya Hospital and NIA for research in patient care. The event was also attended by students of Ayurveda from 15 countries.

Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha, Secretary, Ministry of AYUSH, said, “Centre of Excellence under AYUSH has been doing path-breaking work. The importance of the same has been reflected across the country with the inclusion of Ayurveda as part of the Biology subject in JNU also. We also witnessed the release of important documents and films. It is hoped that this event will benefit the public in maintaining their health and well-being. We are committed to our mission in establishing Ayurveda as one of the most reliable and effective forms of treatment in treating non-communicable diseases as well.”

Professor Sanjeev Sharma, Director and Vice-Chancellor, NIA, said, “We are really happy and proud to be able to successfully organise the events celebrating the sixth National Ayurveda Day. National Institute of Ayurveda, Jaipur organised this two-day event with gaiety and enthusiasm and the series of insightful initiatives were attended and well appreciated by the ministers, policymakers, administrators and scholars not only from Ayurveda, but from other fields as well.”