AMMOI seeks National Institute of Ayurveda in Kerala

Medicine manufacturers point out that the State now has only three Ayurveda medical colleges in the public sector

Updated - December 11, 2023 04:14 pm IST

Published - December 07, 2023 07:55 pm IST - Kozhikode

An organisation representing Ayurvedic medicine manufacturers has sought to develop the proposed Government Ayurveda Medical College in Idukki as a National Institute of Ayurveda.

Leaders of Ayurvedic Medicine Manufacturers Organisation of India (AMMOI) said on December 7 that this would help boost the eco-tourism potential of the district, apart from facilitating research in Ayurveda.

P. Ramkumar and D. Ramanathan, AMMOI president and general secretary respectively, suggested that a proposal for setting up the national institute in Idukki be included in the upcoming Union Budget. This would also help generate funds for the development of Ayurveda through Central grants.

They pointed out that Kerala now had only three Ayurveda medical colleges in the public sector, in Thiruvananthapuram, Ernakulam, and Kannur. The world is looking up to Kerala for the authentic Ayurvedic experience. Setting up a national institute in the State would go a long way in not only promoting the tourism potential of the area but also bringing in foreign exchange, they said.

Dr. Ramanathan said that there had been a proposal earlier to convert either the Ayurveda college in Thiruvananthapuram or in Kannur into a national institute. However, a section of the staff, including teachers, reportedly raised objections, and it was subsequently dropped. AMMOI had recently submitted a memorandum to the Chief Minister during the Navakerala Sadas public outreach programme highlighting the demand to develop the proposed college in Idukki as a national institute, he said.

Meanwhile, in response to a question in the Rajya Sabha by V. Sivadasan of the CPI(M) on the steps being taken by the Union government to promote Ayurveda in Kerala, Union Minister for AYUSH Sarbananda Sonowal said the Centre was willing to consider proposals if they were submitted under the State annual action plan. Mr. Sivadasan had pointed out that though Kerala had many well-known institutions for Ayurveda, there was no national-level one to promote study and research into the traditional system of medicine.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.