Lok Sabha Question No. 4744 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-20
Subject: Siddha Practitioners
Ministry: AYUSH
Asked by: Dr. Gumma Thanuja Rani

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF AYUSH

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4744 TO BE ANSWERED ON 20 th   MARCH, 2026

## Siddha Practitioners

## 4744 . Dr. Gumma Thanuja Rani:

Will the Minister of AYUSH be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government is aware of the number of Siddha practitioners in India, including the number that can successfully teach this system of medicine;
- (b) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor;
- (c) the  steps  taken  by  the  Government  to  develop  capabilities  to  practice  Siddha  medicine among the youth; and
- (d) the details of the budgetary allocation for raising awareness about this traditional system of medicine?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE (IC) OF MINISTRY OF AYUSH (SHRI PRATAPRAO JADHAV)

(a)  &  (b)  All  Siddha  practitioners  are  required  to  be  registered  in  the  State  Register  and  the National Register maintained by the concerned State/ Union Territory Boards/Councils and the Board  of  Ethics  and  Registration  for  Indian  System  of  Medicine  (BERISM)  under  National Commission  for  Indian  System  of  Medicine  (NCISM)  respectively.  Total  8570  Siddha practitioners have been registered in the National Register maintained by NCISM. The NCISM (Minimum  Essential  Standards for Undergraduate  Siddha  Education)  Regulations,  2022 prescribes  the  specific  qualifications  (post-graduation  in  relevant  Siddha  specialties)  and experiences  that  are  mandatory  for  faculty  appointments.  There  are  currently  17  permitted Siddha  Medical  Colleges  providing  undergraduate  (BSMS)  and  postgraduate  (MD  Siddha) education.  NCISM  continues  to  monitor  and  regulate  the  faculty  data  through  the  Online Teacher  Management  System  (OTMS)  to  ensure  transparency  and  maintain  the  quality  of Siddha  education  in  India.  Currently,  924  number  of  Siddha  faculties  have  been  enrolled  on OTMS.

(c)  National  Commission  for  Indian  System  of  Medicine  (NCISM)  through  its  regulations mandates  for  fully  functional  attached  teaching  hospital  to  all  Siddha  institutions  with  the purpose of providing adequate clinical training to the students and thereby develops capabilities to  practice  Siddha  system  of  medicine.  Also,  Ministry  of  Ayush  through  Central  Council  for Research  in  Siddha  (CCRS)  organizes  various  academic,  training  and  capacity-building programmes to facilitate exposure to Siddha principles, clinical practices, research methodology thereby encouraging young practitioners to actively engage in Siddha practice.

(d)  Ministry  of  Ayush  implements  the  Information,  Education  and  Communication  (IEC) Scheme to promote awareness, adoption, and integration of Ayush systems including Siddha in preventive healthcare. Under IEC scheme, there is no separate budgetary allocation for Siddha System  of  medicine,  however  Ministry  successfully  organized  Siddha  Day  2024  in  Chennai with  a  budget  of  Rs.93,71,615/-  to  enhance  public  outreach.  National-level  Arogya  Fairs  are also  held,  with  participation  from  institutions  like  the  National  Institute  of  Siddha  and  the Central  Council  for  Research  in  Siddha  offering  free  health  check-ups,  medicines,  and information on Siddha therapies. Further, Central Council for Research in Siddha (CCRS) has spent an amount of Rs.1.35 crore for raising awareness about Siddha System of Medicine in the previous  financial  year  i.e.  2025-26.  Moreover,  National  Institute  of  Siddha  (NIS)  conducts awareness activities from their Grant-in-aid allocated under General head.

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