The Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS), the apex research organisation under the Ministry of Ayush, Government of India, and the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), the National Standards Body of India, today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to jointly advance quality standards, conformity assessment, scientific research and capacity building for the Ayush sector.

The MoU was signed by Prof. (Vaidya) Rabinarayan Acharya, Director General, CCRAS, and Shri Sanjay Pant, Deputy Director General (Standardisation-II), BIS, in the august presence of Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha, Secretary, Ministry of Ayush. The agreement marks a significant milestone in India's efforts to establish globally benchmarked quality standards for Ayurveda, paving the way for safer, scientifically validated and internationally accepted Ayurvedic products, practices and research.

The partnership will facilitate collaborative development of Standards for Ayurveda and other Ayush systems, strengthen laboratory quality and conformity assessment mechanisms, promote scientific validation of traditional knowledge, and enhance India's contribution to international standardisation initiatives.

On this occasion, Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha said, "Quality is the foundation of credibility, and credibility is the key to global acceptance. This partnership between CCRAS and BIS is a transformative step towards creating robust, science-driven standards that will strengthen public confidence in Ayurveda, support innovation, and reinforce India's leadership in evidence-based traditional medicine across the world."

Prof. (Vaidya) Rabinarayan Acharya said, "CCRAS has consistently strengthened its research ecosystem by adopting internationally recognised quality systems, with several of its institutes and laboratories already accredited under NABL and ISO standards. This collaboration with BIS will further enhance the quality of research standardisation of laboratory practices, and development of scientifically validated benchmarks that will benefit researchers, industry and ultimately the people."

Highlighting the significance of the collaboration, Shri Sanjay Pant, Deputy Director General (Standardisation-II), BIS, said, "This MoU marks a historic milestone for BIS, as it is the 100th Memorandum of Understanding and the first to be signed with an Ayush organisation. BIS has built successful partnerships with more than a hundred premier academic and research institutions across the country. We are delighted to welcome CCRAS into this network. The expertise of CCRAS scientists will greatly enrich the standards development process, and their role as Project Leaders will accelerate the formulation of robust Indian Standards for Ayurveda."

Vaidya Jayant Deopujari, Chairperson, Ayurveda Sectional Committee, BIS, observed, "Scientific standardisation is essential for enhancing confidence in Ayurveda at both national and international levels. This partnership brings together research excellence and standards expertise to create a strong and enduring framework for quality assurance in the Ayush sector."

Sharing the progress made in standards development, Dr. Raghavendra Naik, Ayush Department, BIS, informed that 128 Indian Standards are presently under the Ayurveda Sectional Committee, while 243 standards covering different Ayush domains have been developed during the last three years. He expressed confidence that "the collaboration with CCRAS will significantly accelerate the development of evidence-based, globally relevant standards that will further strengthen the quality ecosystem of Ayurveda."

Ms. Shrishti Dixit, Scientist 'E' & Head, Ayush Department, BIS; Dr. N. Srikanth, DDG, CCRAS; Dr. Raghavendra Naik, Research Officer, Ayush Department, BIS, along with officials from both organisations, were also present on the occasion. Scientists and officers from all 30 peripheral institutes and centres of CCRAS witnessed the landmark event virtually.

The MoU represents a strategic convergence between India's premier Ayurveda research organisation and the country's national standards body. By combining scientific research with internationally accepted standardisation practices, the partnership is expected to enhance quality assurance, strengthen laboratory capabilities, promote evidence-based research, support the Ayush industry, and contribute to the development of globally accepted standards for Ayurveda.

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