The Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS), under the Ministry of Ayush, Government of India, successfully concluded its Internship Programme on information Technology in Ayush on 30 January. The programme was conducted from 15 December with the objective of strengthening the application of information technology and data-driven approaches in Ayush research.

A total of 180 applications were received for the internship, from which 33 students were selected following a structured screening process. The selected interns were primarily drawn from engineering institutions in and around New Delhi. The programme was designed to provide hands-on exposure to the application of Information Technology across diverse domains relevant to Ayush systems.

During the internship, participants worked on a wide range of Information Technology, including AI-enabled projects, including applications in medicinal plant research, bioinformatics, Prakriti assessment, medical imaging, posture detection, and optical character recognition (OCR) of manuscripts. These projects were aligned with CCRAS’s broader objectives of digital documentation, evidence generation, and technology-enabled validation of traditional knowledge systems.

The programme offered an interactive and interdisciplinary learning environment, enabling interns to integrate traditional Ayush concepts with modern computational tools. Mentorship by domain experts encouraged innovation, critical thinking, and practical problem-solving among the participants.

The internship programme reflects CCRAS’s continued commitment to capacity building, innovation, and institutional strengthening by engaging young talent and promoting the use of advanced technologies in AYUSH research and development. The initiative is expected to contribute to the creation of a robust research ecosystem and support the long-term vision of mainstreaming Ayush through evidence-based and technology-driven approaches.

The programme was coordinated by Dr. Rakesh Narayan V., Officer-in-Charge (IT), along with Mr. Naman Goel, Mr. Sahil, Dr. Gagandeep Singh, and other technical officers and staff of the IT Cell at CCRAS Headquarters.

The valedictory session was addressed by Prof. Rabinarayan Acharya, Director General (DG), CCRAS, in the presence of Dr. N. Srikanth, Deputy Director General (DDG), as well as other senior officers and officials of the Council. The dignitaries appreciated the efforts of the interns and emphasized the growing relevance of emerging technologies in strengthening evidence-based research across Ayush systems.

Prof. Acharya highlighted the strategic importance of Information Technology including Artificial Intelligence in advancing the Ayush sector and outlined the ongoing initiatives of CCRAS in this area. He emphasized that the applications developed during the internship should be carried forward for validation and scaling through structured, project-mode implementation.

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SR/GS

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