Ministry of Ayush is implementing a Central Sector Scheme namely Ayurgyan Scheme from FY 2021-22. Under Research & Innovation in Ayush and Ayurveda Biology Integrated Health Research (ABIHR) components of Ayurgyan Scheme, financial assistance is provided to the eligible organizations/institutions across the country as per provisions contained in scheme guideline for conducting high-quality research activities in the field of Ayush system of medicine for generation of scientific evidence. The priority area of ABIHR component, which was added under the scheme in FY 2023-24, is conducting high end research activities in the field of Ayurveda through integration of basic sciences with conventional system of medicine. A total of 11 high end research projects were supported through providing financial assistance of Rs.58.28 Crores under the ABIHR from FY 2023-24 to FY 2025-26. Further under Research & Innovation in Ayush component, 73 research projects amounting to Rs.11.82 Crores were supported during the last three years.                

In addition, Research Councils under Ministry of Ayush namely Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Science (CCRAS), Central Council for Research in Homoeopathy (CCRH), Central Council for Research in Unani Medicine (CCRUM), Central Council for Research in Siddha (CCRS) and Central Council for Research in Yoga & Naturopathy (CCRYN) also undertake research activities such as Clinical Research, Drug Proving, Drug Verification, Drug validation, Drug Standardization, Public Health Research, Fundamental Research and Epidemic research through their Research Institutes/Treatment Centre/Peripheral Units.

The details of the total funds allocated/released and utilized by the Research Councils for research and development (R &D) activities, in last three year (i.e. FY-2023-24 to 2025-26) is attached at Annexure.

Ministry of Ayush, in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), has undertaken following initiatives to facilitate the integration of traditional medicine into modern healthcare systems at the international level:

1. Launch of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) Traditional Medicine Module-2 by WHO in New Delhi on 10 January 2024, enabling the inclusion of morbidity codes for Ayurveda, Siddha and Unani in the ICD-11, thereby facilitating standardized documentation and reporting of traditional medicine in health information systems.
2. Development of WHO Terminologies on Ayurveda, Unani and Siddha, providing globally harmonized terminology to support clinical practice, education, research and policy was Published by WHO.
3. Benchmark Documents for Training and Practice of Ayurveda and Unani (2022) to promote standardized education, training and quality-assured clinical practice in line with international standards was also Published by WHO.
4. WHO Technical Report on Training in Yoga, jointly developed by WHO and the Ministry of Ayush, establishes international standards for yoga training, enhancing the quality, credibility, and global integration of yoga into healthcare.
5. Establishment of the WHO Global Traditional Medicine Centre (GTMC) in Jamnagar, Gujarat, as a global knowledge hub to strengthen evidence generation, research, innovation and the integration of traditional medicine into national health systems.
6.  Bilateral cooperation through Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with various countries for collaboration in traditional medicine, covering areas such as education, research, regulation, quality assurance and integrative healthcare.
7. Promotion of international dialogue on integrative healthcare through global conferences, ministerial meetings and WHO-led initiatives, including the two WHO Global Summit on Traditional Medicine held in India in 2023 & 2025, which emphasized evidence-based integration of traditional medicine within universal health coverage and primary healthcare.
8. Facilitation of academic collaboration through Ayush Chairs and institutional partnerships with foreign universities and research organizations, promoting education, research and clinical exchange in integrative medicine.

For clinical trials and Scientific validation of Trial drugs, the CCRAS has conducted a research study entitled “Effectiveness and safety of Ayurveda as a whole treatment system in Osteoarthritis of the knee-A Multicentre, randomised controlled clinical trial based on Traditional Ayurveda Diagnosis” with Charité University, Germany.

In addition, CCRH has signed 12 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and 01 Letter of Intent in the field of homoeopathic medicine with medical centres/hospitals, Universities and Scientific   institutes/organisations in Germany, Canada, USA, UK, Argentina, Israel, Armenia, Mexico and Brazil. These MoU are broadly aimed at strengthening & developing co-operation in the field of Research & Education in Homoeopathic system of Medicine. This encompasses joint research projects, exchange of information, organisation of seminars/workshops etc.

CCRUM has also signed following MoU’s with international organizations for global promotion and recognition of Unani Medicine:

•  MoU with University of Western Cape, Cape Town, South Africa.

•  MoU with Hamdard University, Bangladesh for establishment of Unani Chair.

•  MoU with Tajikistan for Research and Development of Unani Medicine.

•  MoU with Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Iran.

•  MoU with Lotus Holistic Healthcare Institute, Abu Dhabi, UAE.

To strengthen the integration of the Ayush systems with the modern system of medicine, under the Centre of Excellence (CoE) component of Ayurswasthya Yojana, financial assistance was provided to 09 organizations of national repute with the aim to promote research and development in Ayush in collaboration with the modern system of medicine to strengthen the scientific validation of Ayush systems and promoting its wider acceptance.

Further, following steps have been taken by Pharmacopoeia Commission for Indian Medicine & Homoeopathy (PCIM&H) to improve and promote high-quality scientific research in the field of Ayush systems of medicine during the last three years:

1. To collaborate on academic and research activities in the field of quality control of ASU&H drugs, PCIM&H has signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Shri Krishna Ayush University in Kurukshetra, Haryana, Jamia Hamdard (Deemed University) in New Delhi, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER) in Mohali, Jamia Hamdard University, Delhi and National Institute of Ayurveda (NIA) in Jaipur.
2. For Inter-Ministerial cooperation for promotion and facilitation of "One Herb, One Standard", PCIM&H has signed a MoU with Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission (Ministry of Health & Family Welfare).
3. To strengthen collaboration in Ayurvedic research and promote scientific cooperation in pharmacopoeial standardization, quality assurance and joint research, PCIM&H signed MoU with Institute of Teaching and Research in Ayurveda (ITRA) in Jamnagar.
4. For collaborative work in the field of quality control, standardization and evidence-based Research studies on Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani and Homoeopathy (ASU&H) drugs, PCIM&H signed a MoU with Amity University, Noida.
5. For the promotion and facilitation of the development of Pharmacopoeial monographs, Botanical & Phytochemical Reference Standards, and pharmacological studies on ASU&H drugs PCIM&H has signed MoUs with Ayush councils (CCRAS, CCRS, CCRUM, and CCRH), CSIR-Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (CIMAP), CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology (CSIR-IHBT) and CSIR - National Botanical Research Institute (NBRI).
6. For cooperation in the field of Traditional Medicine (TM) Quality Assurance, PCIM&H has signed a MoU with the Food and Drug Authority of the Republic of Indonesia.
7. PCIM&H is actively engaged with WHO develop the monographs for WHO-International Herbal Pharmacopoeia (IHP) on selected herbal materials.

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Annexure

Council wise details of fund released and utilized for last three year (i.e. FY-2023-24 to 2025-26):

This information was given by Union Minister of State (I/C) for Ayush, Shri Prataprao Jadhav in a written reply in Rajya Sabha today.

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SR/SV/SG

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