The Ministry of AYUSH supports the practice and promotion of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, and Homeopathy within the country, ensuring that people utilize these healing methods. As years passed by, the Government also initiated different schemes under the banner of Ministry of AYUSH to help introduce these old medicinal practices to mainstream healthcare delivery while standardizing these practices to benefit the society as a whole.
These schemes offer financial support, research programs, skill development, and public awareness initiatives to boost traditional medicine with scientific validation and improve public health.
This blog comprehensively describes all the major schemes launched by the Ministry of AYUSH along with their goals, advantages, and the after-effects on the health system in India.
Introduction
Indian cultural heritage has carried the legacy of traditional healthcare systems for centuries. Ayurveda, Yoga, Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, and Homeopathy, or AYUSH, are routes to complete well-being through prevention and natural remedies. To take these to the maximum potential, the Indian government came up with the Ministry of AYUSH as early as 2014 to upgrade, promote, and expand these traditional avenues of medical health care.
Schemes and programs offered by this Ministry of AYUSH include mainstreaming of various schemes that allow research, the improvement of existing infrastructure, accessible treatments for individuals across the nation, and providing quality control as well as low-cost treatment coupled with increased general acceptance of Ayurveda.
Key Schemes Under the AYUSH Ministry
1. National AYUSH Mission
National AYUSH Mission is one of the key programs in terms of bolstering AYUSH health services in India.
Objectives
- To enhance the infrastructure of AYUSH healthcare through the improvement of existing health setups and the creation of new ones.
- Promote AYUSH treatments at primary healthcare centres, community health centres, and district hospitals.
- Promote medicinal plant cultivation for the sustainability of herbs that are used for preparing traditional medicine.
- Support research and innovation in AYUSH therapies.
Effect of the schemeÂ
- AYUSH hospitals and dispensaries have been developed through this scheme.
- Access to AYUSH treatments has been increased in rural and urban areas.
- AYUSH doctors have been merged into public healthcare systems.
2. AYUSH Health & Wellness Centres (AYUSH HWCs)
Under the Ayushman Bharat initiative, the government launched AYUSH Health & Wellness Centres (AYUSH HWCs) to promote preventive healthcare and holistic well-being.
Objectives
- Establish 12,500 AYUSH Health & Wellness Centres across India.
- Integrate Yoga, meditation, and natural therapies into primary healthcare.
- Provide lifestyle counselling and disease prevention programs using AYUSH principles.
Impact
- Increased awareness about preventive healthcare through Yoga and Ayurveda.
- Strengthened community healthcare with affordable and holistic treatment options.
- Promotion of natural therapies for chronic diseases like diabetes, hypertension, and stress disorders.
3. Champion Services Sector Scheme for Medical Value Travel (CSS-MVT)
Medical tourism has now been a new face of the future for India. International patients visit India seeking treatments under AYUSH. In order to support medical tourism with AYUSH, the Champion Service Sector Scheme for Medical Value Travel (CSS-MVT) has been established.
Objectives
- Promotion of India as an international hub for AYUSH-based medical treatments.
- Establishing AYUSH hospitals and wellness centres that service international patients.
- Training and certification of practitioners providing AYUSH treatments to foreign nationals.
Impact
- More international patients are seeking AYUSH therapies.
- Increased revenue through medical tourism in Ayurveda and Naturopathy.
- Increased global attention to India’s holistic healing methodologies.
4. AYUSH Research and Development Schemes
The government has initiated several research and development schemes under the Ministry of AYUSH to ensure scientific validation and global acceptance of AYUSH treatments.
Objectives
- Promote evidence-based research in Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha, and Homeopathy.
- Establish research councils such as
- Central Council for the Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS)
- Central Council for the Research in Unani Medicine (CCRUM)
- Central Council for the Research in Yoga and Naturopathy (CCRYN)
- Promote clinical trials and scientific research to prove the efficacy of AYUSH treatments.
Impact
- More scientific studies and publications on AYUSH therapies.
- Incorporation of AYUSH research in leading medical institutions.
- Increased credibility of traditional medicine in India and worldwide.
5. National Medicinal Plants Board Scheme
The National Medicinal Plants Board (NMPB) has created an innovative scheme to promote the cultivation and conservation of medicinal plants used in AYUSH treatments.
Objectives
- Support farmers and tribal communities in growing medicinal plants.
- Promote the sustainable harvesting and conservation of rare herbs.
- Set up medicinal plant farms for large-scale production of raw materials for AYUSH medicines.
Impact
- Increased self-reliance in medicinal plant production.
- Increased production of AYUSH pharmaceuticals.
- Economic benefits for farmers involved in medicinal plant farming.
6. AYUSH Gram Program
The AYUSH Gram Program primarily focuses on promoting AYUSH-based lifestyle and healthcare models in rural areas.
Objective
- Establish AYUSH model villages where the use of traditional medicine is an integral part of routine healthcare.
- Education of the community in health care using Ayurveda, Yoga, or other AYUSH practices.
- Popularization of traditional home remedies for minor ailments.
Impact
- AYUSH presence strengthened in rural health care.
- The use of natural as well as herbal medicinal measures increased in villages.
- Local communities are empowered in health and wellness practices.
7. AYUSH Entrepreneurship Development Scheme (AEDS)
AYUSH Entrepreneurship Development Scheme, AEDS, is mainly an initiative of the government to facilitate entrepreneurship in the AYUSH sector by providing financial support and funding for startups, MSMEs, and other entrepreneurs operating in the area of Ayurveda, Yoga, Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, and Homeopathy.
Objectives
- Promote new businesses in AYUSH health care, manufacturing, and wellness tourism.
- Financial aid, subsidies, and loans to startups and MSMEs engaged in the AYUSH sector.
- Encourage innovation in products and services under AYUSH.
Impact
- Growth in AYUSH-based startups, which include Ayurvedic skincare, organic herbal products, and wellness centres.
- Growing employment opportunities within the AYUSH industry.
- India is expected to further become a world leader in AYUSH-based entrepreneurship.
8. AYUSH Ghar Dwar Programme
AYUSH Ghar Dwar (AYUSH at Home) Programme has been launched to bring AYUSH healthcare services to the people’s doorstep to make it easily accessible and affordable.
Objectives
- Online consultation through AYUSH practitioners for preventive and curative healthcare.
- Home-based wellness therapies including Yoga, Ayurvedic diet, and naturopathy.
- Widening the telemedicine facilities for remote places and elderly persons.
Impact
- More access to AYUSH health care without going to the places.
- Encouragement of holistic home-based health practices like Yoga and Ayurveda.
- The digital healthcare services must be strengthened in the AYUSH sector.
Conclusion
The Ministry of AYUSH has emerged as a fulcrum in reviving, modernizing, and popularising Indian traditional healthcare. Among them are NAM, AYUSH HWCs, CSS-MVT, and NMPB, which have shown immense efforts by the government in making AYUSH more accessible, scientifically validated, and better recognized globally.
With increased funding, research, and integration with mainstream healthcare, AYUSH would become the bedrock for wholesome healthcare in India. More and more people reaching out to nature and prevention-centric healthcare will sustain the effects of these schemes; India’s ancient wisdom will once again form an integral part of modern health and wellness.
References
https://namayush.gov.in/
