Bill to give 'national importance' tag to Gujarat Ayurveda institutes introduced in Rajya Sabha

A bill that seeks to accord the status of an institution of national importance to a Jamnagar-based cluster of Ayurveda institutes was introduced in Rajya Sabha on Tuesday.

Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan introduced 'The Institute of Teaching and Research in Ayurveda Bill, 2020,' which will grant institution of national importance status by conglomerating the cluster of Ayurveda institutes at Gujarat Ayurveda University campus in Jamnagar.

Lok Sabha has already approved the bill in the last session, in which three Jamnagar, Gujarat-based institutes -- Institute of Post Graduate Teaching and Research in Ayurveda, Gulabkunwerba Ayurveda Mahavidyalaya and Institute of Ayurveda Pharmaceutical Sciences --would be conglomerated.

Moving the Bill for passage, Vardhan said this for the promotion of quality and excellence in education, research and training in Ayurveda and allied disciplines.

"This is going to be the first institution in the country in the field of Ayurveda to be given the status of an institution of national importance. This is one of the oldest in the country under the government sector. 10 per cent of Ayurveda research publications are from this institute," he said.

The Institute of Post Graduate Teaching and Research in Ayurveda is the only centre, which is a WHO collaborating centre and is the only institution, where PG and research facility is available. It has also made several treatment protocols and guidelines for the country.

"This is a first attempt to give such recognition to an Ayurveda institution, which has already attained an international stature," he added.

While initiating the debate, INC member L Hanumanthaiah said Ayurveda is an ancient medical system and used by local practitioners in rural areas. However, it is now facing a big challenge from the scientific medical system.

Hanumanthaiah questioned the move to grant such a status to an institute from Gujarat while ignoring states like Kerala and Karnataka, which have a rich history of traditional Ayurveda system.

"Why this is only in Gujarat. Kerala is number one in Ayurveda," he said adding, institutes in Kerala such as kottakkal Ayurveda are world-famous and even much older than the Jamnagar-based institute.

Institutes like the Government Ayurveda College, Thiruvananthapuram were established in 1889, while the Jamnagar-based research institute started in 1952.

"Why Kerala Ayurveda institute has not been given national importance. Karnataka has 68 Ayurveda colleges and research institutes," he pointed out.

"The bill is interested only in Gujarat and Jamnagar institute," he said.

Besides, traditional Siddha medicine is popular in Tamil Nadu and an institute of such national importance should come up there.

"If you had come with this kind of national importance institute in Kerala, Tamil Nadu or Karnataka, I would have very happily invited this bill to come up but the government is only interested in Gujarat and I feel... because the prime minister is from Gujarat. So they wanted to have Ayurveda national importance institute there, though there are no practitioners in Gujarat like Kerala and Karnataka," said Hanumanthaiah.

"What is the reason, we must know. My colleagues from Gujarat also agree with this," he said.

Hanumanthaiah said Ayurveda education system across the country requires teachers and research facilities, which are lacking.

"Make a list of all Ayurveda institutes and make a national level governing body for monitoring research institutes across the country, then only you can contribute to Ayurveda and research also," he said.

Ayurvedic products business across the world is estimated to be around USD 10 billion (around Rs 73,66 crore) by 2022, he said, adding that work is needed to improve Ayurvedic teaching and research.

"To attain self-sufficiency in the postgraduate level and undergraduate level, it needs specialist and teachers in Ayurveda. There is a shortage of teachers at postgraduate level and the research is also not at the expected level and the government says this bill is going to help," he said.

The proposed institute would have a 15-member committee including the Minister of Ayush, Secretary of Ayush and Secretary of Health & Family Welfare of the Gujarat Government, along with three MPs in which two would be from Lok Sabha and one from Rajya Sabha.

"The bill says the director of the Institute of PG Teaching and Research will be the director of the institute and will be the chairman of the governing body also. I have a strong doubt, how the director would work when the minister and secretary are a member of the governing body," he added.

The debate remained inconclusive and would continue.