The First ever National Ayurveda Day is being celebrated throughout the country on the occasion of Dhanwantari Jayanti today. A Seminar on “Prevention and Control of Diabetes through Ayurveda” was held in the capital New Delhi today. An Ayurveda Day logo was also released on the occasion.  The National Dhanwantary Ayurveda Awards were also given away today.

Inaugurating the Seminar on Prevention and Control of Diabetes through Ayurveda, Hon’ble Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region, Hon’ble Minister of State for Prime Minister’s Office, Personnel, Public Grievance & Pension, Department of Atomic Energy and Department of Space, Dr. Jitendra Singh said that it is a historic moment today since the first ever National Ayurveda Day is being celebrated. The credit for the same goes to the vision of the Prime Minister, Mr. Narendra Modi and the hard work of MoS, AYUSH, Shri Shripad Yesso Naik, he added. Dr. Jitendra Singh said that it is even more commendable that this time, the special day has been dedicated to the theme of diabetes. The Minister further explained that India has seen a surge in the incidence of diabetes over the last 15 years, especially among the younger generation. Dr. Jitendra Singh advised that the focus of the government should be on youth and pregnant women with respect to diabetes control and management. Since mental stress could be one of the important reasons behind diabetes, a holistic management of the disease is required including Ayurveda, Unani, Naturopathy, Yoga and lifestyle management.

Hon’ble Minsiter of State for AYUSH (Independent Charge), Shri Shripad Yesso Naik launched the “Mission Madhumeh through Ayurveda” on the occasion today. Addressing the gathering at the seminar today, Shri Shripad Naik said that Ayurveda touches the entire way of life and therefore, we should look towards Ayurveda not only for treatment purposes but also for the promotion of a healthy life. There was a demand to declare Dhanwantari Jayanti as Ayurveda Day for a long time, so the government decided to go ahead and do the same, the AYUSH Minister explained.

He further said that each year, a single disease will be kept as a theme to generate awareness about prevention and control and to promote efforts of research through year long activities. Accordingly, the Madhumeh Mission has been declared as the first theme for the year 2016.

Secretary AYUSH, Shri Ajit M. Sharan said that 200 research fellowships have been instituted to create evidence based research in traditional medicine including Ayurveda. Similarily, the Govt of India is collaborating with WHO to develop benchmarks in Ayurveda to make it acceptable to Modern science and the world at large.

Prof. Vaiday Devendra Triguna; Dr. Ashok Vaidya; Director, All India Istitute of Ayurveda, Prof. Abhimnayu Kumar and Adviser (Ayurveda), M/o AYUSH, Dr. Manoj Nesari also spoke on the occasion.

An Ayurveda compendium on diabetes research “Ayurveda for Diabetes Care” developed by CCRAS was released on the occasion. ‘Ayurveda Protocol for Prevention and Control of Diabetes’ was issued at the seminar. A booklet on healthy recepies for diabetes, developed by All India Institute of Ayurveda, was also released on the occasion.

A booklet on ‘Common Yoga Protocol for Control of Diabetes Mellitus’ has already been released by the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi on 2^nd October, 2016 on the occasion of Pravasi Bhartiya Diwas in New Delhi. (Click here for more details)

Three renowned Practitioners, Academicians & Researchers of Ayurveda received the National Dhanwantari Ayurveda Awards i.e. Prof. Premwati Tiwari, Shri Parshuram Yashawant Vaidya Khadiwale and Vaidya P. R. Krishna Kumar.(Click here for more details)

Practioners, Researchers, Academicians, scholars, students and enthusiasts of Ayurveda were present at today’s seminar on Prevention and Control of Diabetes through Ayurveda. An exhibition of ayurvedic products was also setup at the venue of the seminar. The National Ayurveda Day is also being celebrated in the States across the country today.

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NB/SK/UD