Lok Sabha Clears Bill To Merge 3 Ayurveda Institutes In Gujarat To Set Up An Institute Of National Importance [Read Bill]

Introduced by the Minister of State for AYUSH, Shripad Yesso Naik, the Bill seeks to merge three Ayurveda institutes, namely

• Institute of Post Graduate Teaching and Research in Ayurveda, Jamnagar;
• Shree Gulabkunverba Ayurved Mahavidyalaya, Jamnagar; and
• Indian Institute of Ayurvedic Pharmaceutical Sciences, Jamnagar;

into one institution of National Importance. The proposed Institute that will go by the name Institute of Teaching and Research in Ayurveda, will be situated in the campus of Gujarat Ayurved University, Jamnagar.

Composition of the Institute

The Bill provides that the Institute will consist of the following 15 members:

• Minister of AYUSH
• Secretary and Technical Head of Ayurveda, Ministry of AYUSH
• Secretary, Department of Health, Government of Gujarat
• Director of the Institute
• Director-General, Central Council for Research in Ayurveda
• Three experts in Ayurveda with expertise in education, industry and research
• Three Members of Parliament.

Functions of the Institute

The Institution will be responsible to prescribe curricula and provide for teaching in Ayurveda at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. It will also provide facilities for research in the various branches of Ayurveda and maintain well-equipped colleges and hospitals for Ayurveda supporting staffs such as nurses and pharmacists.

Parliamentary Debate

During the discussion on the Bill, INC's Shahi Tharoor emphasized on the need for credible documentation of evidence-based research in the field of Ayurveda. "Documentation must comply with international standards for reporting and evidence based research…for strengthening Ayurvedic treatment," he said.

He also stressed on the need to adequately deliberate over the legal security and safeguards to those, who practice the Ayurveda. Talking about how the usual home remedies were actually a legacy handed-down by the traditional Ayurveda practitioners, he remarked, "We lack a comprehensive system to safeguard those who have over the generations protected and honed these (Ayurvedic knowledge) resources…Many of our indigenous communities rely on these traditions for their livelihood, their identity and its misappropriation can prejudice their rights…safety of our knowledge is not something that we can defer but it's ignored in the Bill."

The Bill will now be tabled before the Upper House.

[With Inputs From PRS Legislative]

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