To promote the Indian Ayush industry nationally and globally, ASSOCHAM has partnered with the Ministry of Ayush, Government of India to organize ‘Global Ayush Mela’, a three-day virtual expo to provide a platform for various stakeholders to network, encourage education and honor the leaders of the industry. The virtual expo opened on 30 October.

A knowledge report titled ‘Medicinal plants for rural development for North East’ compiled by ASSOCHAM was released by Dr Jitendra Singh, Minister of State, Prime Minister’s Office and MoS (I/C), Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region, Government of India, who was the Chief Guest at the inaugural session.

Speaking at the event, Rajesh Kotecha, Secretary, Ministry of AYUSH said, “Global disruptions due to the pandemic has opened avenues for the deep-rooted ancient knowledge and treasure trove of medicinal plants used in the Ayush system of treatment as an answer to the challenge of Covid. India’s stronghold in the field of Ayurvedic immunity-boosting practices puts us in a strong position to meet present and future demands. The government has been championing the growth of this sunrise industry through various schemes and 4000 crores have been announced for the Ayush Sector exclusively for medicinal plants under the Atmanirbhar Abhiyaan.”

He further added, “10 lakh hectare cultivation of medicinal plants will soon be a reality and there will be startup incubation centres to aid the growth of the Ayush sector. Five such incubation centres will come in the country in the next six months. Also, 68 research studies are being done all over the country in this field. All these show the commitment of the ministry and the government towards giving the filed its rightful place. With the rising interest in Ayush, now is the time for all stakeholders including private players to work together towards a shared common dream that is the growth Ayush in the country and beyond.” 

Acharya Balkrishna, Vice-Chancellor, University of Patanjali said, “There were many preconceived notions about Ayurved and yoga before Corona but this pandemic gave us an opportunity to dispel them and showcase to all that they can play a big role especially in the prevention of diseases like these. We faced several problems but today we are directly involved with more than one crore family and have reached to more than 50 crore people overall in various ways. These are all established things so I request all to get out maximum benefit from our traditional knowledge and medicines.”

He added, “Now people have also accepted Coronil as preventive medicine and as a Suraksha Kawach. I am happy to share that the well known Molecules international journal has accepted the Coronil research work and will be publishing on their website in a day or two. This will lead to more acceptance of not only Coronil but also the extensive research work that went behind it.”