At a time when yoga centres, naturopathy clinics and institutions that claim to teach them are mushrooming, a Central task force has recommended the formation of a body that can regulate and certify them. The task force has recommended establishing a board for assessment and standardisation of courses in yoga and naturopathy, registration of practitioners, and accreditation of institutes.
Unlike the medicine and engineering courses which are regulated by the Medical Council of India and the All India Council for Technical Education, respectively, there is no regulatory body for yoga and naturopathy courses as of now. This has led to fake and fraudulent claims.
The 14-member AYUSH Task Force, headed by Padma Shri award winner H.R. Nagendra, Chancellor, S-VYASA Deemed University, Bengaluru, in its 40-page report to the Union Ministry of AYUSH, headed by Shripad Y. Niak, has recommended setting up of a ‘National Board for Promotion and Development of Yoga and Naturopathy’ under the chairmanship of the AYUSH Secretary.
The setting up of such a body assumes importance in the wake of the alleged suicide of three girl students of SVS College of Naturopathy and Yoga Science at Kallakurichi, near Villupuram, in Tamil Nadu, a few days ago, following alleged financial exploitation by the college management.
Currently, degree course of Bachelor of Naturopathy and Yoga Sciences is being conducted in some States. There is, however, no Central legislation for regulation of education and practice in yoga and naturopathy systems. The task force has recommended a system for registration of practitioners and accreditation of institutes on the basis of guidelines formulated and issued.
There are a large number of AYUSH institutions in the country — 495 undergraduate colleges, 106 postgraduate colleges, 11 national institutes, five State universities and two privately funded universities. The task force says they are not only unregulated, “but do not appear to have sufficiently impacted either domestic or global health”.
The task force said all expenditure pertaining to the national board should be borne by the Ministry of AYUSH. It recommended allocation of minimum of Rs. 200 crore a year. Besides officials, the 22-member board must comprise five eminent yoga experts and five naturopathy experts.
It suggested supporting research fellowships in AYUSH (JRF, SRF, research associates, post-doctoral fellowships etc.) to be housed at reputed institutions, including accredited ones/laboratories/universities/ PG colleges both in the public and private sectors, to build research capacity for innovation, focused on AYUSH.
It recommended establishment of advanced research units in reputed AYUSH, and modern scientific, medical and social science institutions, both in government and non-government sectors.
