Centre announces over Rs 100 crore investment for AYUSH healthcare sector in Nagaland

Union minister for AYUSH, shipping and ports, Sarbananda Sonowal on Friday announced investment of over Rs 100 crore to develop the AYUSH healthcare facilities in Christian-dominated Nagaland, a day before Naga-dominated areas in neighbouring Manipur goes for Assembly elections.

Making the announcement in Nagaland capital, Kohima, Sonowal said one 30-bedded AYUSH hospital and three 10-bedded hospitals along with one Ayurvedic college will be developed in the state with the allocated funds.

Sonowal, who served as Assam Chief Minister between 2016 and 20121, before becoming the Union Minister, inaugurated an integrated AYUSH hospital at Razha Chedema in Kohima on Friday. The 30-bedded AYUSH hospital will be developed at Kihpire, while the 10-bedded AYUSH hospitals will be developed, one each at Mokokchung, at Nagaland University in Dimapur and Wokha. In order to give the higher education in AYUSH a fillip in the region, the Union Minister announced setting up of a state-of-the-art Ayurvedic college at Longleng. The cost of this college is estimated at Rs 70 crore.

"The North East has an immense potential to become the hub in the AYUSH sector. The beautiful state of Nagaland is no exception with a lot of potential to be tapped. With our rich traditional knowledge base in folk medicine and the bounty of flora that Mother Nature has blessed us with, it is important that we seize this opportunity. We can become the springboard for AYUSH sector in the country and create an ecosystem to provide health and wellness solutions for people of India as well as our neighbouring countries. This will give us economic strength and our community will be blessed with a healing touch to treat human illness,” Sonowal said.

Stating that the Ministry of AYUSH has been making efforts to unlock the huge value that the rich bio-diverse region of North East possess, Sonowal said the AYUSH ministry announced investments of Rs 172 crore in Nagaland and Mizoram. As many as 10 new AYUSH hospitals and an ayurvedic college will be built in the two states.

"In order to learn and leverage the folk medicine, the AYUSH ministry is conducting a multi-centric research project to critically appraise and validate Local Health Traditions (LHT), Oral health Traditions (OHT) and Ethno Medicinal Practices (EMP), among ethnic communities of the North East," Sonowal said.

The annoucement was made a day before 22 Assembly constituencies, including 11 in Naga-dominated constituencies in Ukhrul, Senapati and Tamenglong districts of Manipur will go for elections.

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