Bhopal, Sep 23 (IANS) Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on Wednesday said the state government may soon increase the stipend of Ayush interns after a demand to bring it on par with that of medical students.
Yadav said he would issue appropriate directions to Ayush Minister Inder Singh Parmar on the demand while addressing a state-level programme organised at the Pandit Khushilal Sharma Government Autonomous Ayurveda College and Institute on the occasion of the 11th National Ayurveda Day.
On this occasion, the Chief Minister also inaugurated and laid the foundation stones for 25 new Ayush hospitals, dispensaries and college buildings, constructed at a combined cost of Rs 185.50 crore. The projects include 12 AYUSH buildings and a new Ayurveda college in Dindori, costing Rs 102 crore, officials said.
Yadav announced that Ayush wellness tourism centres in the state would now be known as “Ayush Arogyam Dham” and opened the Herbal Garden of State Importance at the Pandit Khushilal Sharma Ayurveda College to the public.
Speaking at the programme, Yadav said Ayurveda had been an integral part of Indian culture and lifestyle for centuries. “Indian culture and lifestyle have incorporated Ayurveda for centuries. Even our kitchens and food habits are linked to Ayurveda,” he said.
He added that yoga and Ayurveda have received renewed global recognition under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The Chief Minister stressed the importance of preventive healthcare and said people should focus on their daily routine, diet and wellness rather than seeking treatment only after falling ill.
Yadav said the Ayush Department’s budget in Madhya Pradesh had increased 16-fold compared with 2002-03 and that the state government had begun establishing nine new Ayurveda colleges. Wellness centres are also being established at major tourist destinations to promote Ayush-based healthcare and wellness tourism, he said.
Ayush and Higher Education Minister Inder Singh Parmar said Ayurveda would have a distinct place in the future of Indian medicine. He noted that the state had seven Ayurveda colleges and two colleges offering homoeopathy and Unani medicine till 2023, while construction of eight new Ayurveda colleges was underway. One more Ayurveda college had received approval from the Centre, taking the total number of AYUSH colleges across the three systems to 18, Parmar said.
More than 1,700 Ayurveda dispensaries are functioning in the state and yoga classes have also been started for the public, he added.
–IANS
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