Lok Sabha Question No. 500 (STARRED), answered on 2026-03-27
Subject: Transition of AYUSH System
Ministry: AYUSH
Asked by: Shri Arup Chakraborty

## TO BE ANSWERED ON 27 th  MARCH 2026

## 500. Shri Arup Chakraborty

## Will the Minister of AYUSH

be pleased to state:

(a) whether the Government has formulated a roadmap for transition of AYUSH systems from experience-based practice to evidence-based validation through structured clinical research and scientific documentation and if so, the details thereof;

(b)  the  steps  taken  by  the  Government  for  transition  from  isolated  traditional  practices  to standardized and structured treatment protocols across AYUSH disciplines;

(c) whether any framework has been developed to integrate AYUSH systems with mainstream healthcare to ensure coordinated and patient-centric care and if so, the details thereof; and

(d)  the  details  of  the  research  collaborations,  funding  allocations,  regulatory  reforms  and institutional  mechanisms established to promote evidence generation and integrated healthcare delivery in the country?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE (IC) OF THE MINISTRY OF AYUSH

## (SHRI PRATAPRAO JADHAV)

(a) to (d) A statement is laid on the Table of the House.

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF AYUSH LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 500 Transition of AYUSH System

## The Statement referred in reply to Lok Sabha Starred Question No. 500 for 27.03.2026

- (a) Ministry of Ayush has undertaken several initiatives to promote scientific research, data generation, and documentation of clinical outcomes in traditional system of medicine through its dedicated Apex Central Research Councils, National Institutes, Regulatory Commissions,  Schemes and digital  platforms  to  generate  scientific  evidence,  support policy formulation, and integration of Ayush into the broader healthcare system. The details are as:

## i. Establishment of dedicated Research Councils

There  are  five  autonomous  central  research  councils  namely,  Central  Council  for Research  in Ayurvedic  Sciences  (CCRAS),  Central  Council  for  Research  in Yoga  & Naturopathy  (CCRYN),  Central  Council  for  Research  in  Unani  Medicine  (CCRUM), Central  Council  for  Research  in  Siddha  (CCRS),  Central  Council  for  Research  in Homoeopathy (CCRH), under the aegis of Ministry of Ayush (MoA) which undertake fundamental  and  applied  research,  clinical  trial,  drug  research,  standardize  Ayush formulation,  collaborative  research,  document  clinical  evidence  (clinical  research), publish  research  in  national  and  international  journals,  documentation  of  traditional knowledge and public health research, etc.  Currently, 89 research institutes and units operate across the country under these research councils.

## ii. Ayush Research Database

Ministry  has  developed  a  dedicated Ayush  Research  Portal  which  compiles  research outputs generated by these councils and other institutions. It is a centralized repository of Ayush  research  of  around  43,000  published  research  articles  at  present.  These  are accessible  to  researchers,  policymakers,  and  practitioners  and  promotes  evidence dissemination and transparency.

## iii. Ayush Hospital Management Information System (A-HMIS)

A-HMIS is a digital health platform designed to collect and manage patient data across Ayush healthcare facilities. It facilitates digitization of hospital records, captures realtime clinical data, generates evidence through patient outcomes.

## iv. NAMASTE Portal

The  National  Ayush Morbidity and Standardized  Terminology Electronic Portal (NAMASTE) have been developed to standardize disease reporting. These Standardized Ayush medical terminology is in alignment with  World Health Organization's International  Classification  of  Disease  (ICD-10  and  ICD-11)  and  thus  enhances comparability of Ayush data with global health systems and research.

## v. System wise Evidence Based Research

All clinical trials are registered with the Clinical Trials Registry of India (CTRI), hosted by  ICMR  (Indian  Council  of  Medical  Research).  It  ensures  transparency,  ethical compliance,  and  proper  reporting.  The  Council  also  employs  standardized  outcome assessment tools and actively promotes publication of research findings in peer-reviewed scientific journals. To systematically build the evidence base for Ayush systems, each council conducts research across multiple domains.

- (b) An Ayush Vertical under the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), established by the Ministry of Ayush and Ministry of Health & family Welfare (MoH&FW), functions as a dedicated institutional mechanism for planning, monitoring, and supervising Ayushspecific  public  health  programs.  It  also  supports  clinical  integration  and  developed Standard Treatment Guidelines (STGs) for Ayush systems in co-ordination with concerned Research Councils for six common musculoskeletal disorders and five common metabolic disorders during 2024 and 2025. For further dissemination amongst States/UTs, training for master trainers was organised in collaboration with Central Health Education Bureau (CHEB) in October 2025 for effective implementation of the STG guidelines.
- (c) The initiatives to integrate Ayush systems with mainstream healthcare are as below:
- i. Mainstreaming of Ayush is one of the core strategies under National Health Mission (NHM), MoH&FW which seeks to provide accessible, affordable and quality health care to the population. To promote traditional systems of medicine and wellness in the country,  Government  of  India  has  adopted  an  integrated  strategy  of  co-location  of Ayush  facilities  at  Primary  Health  Centres  (PHCs),  Community  Health  Centres

(CHCs)  and  District  Hospitals  (DHs),  thus  enabling  the  choice  to  the  patients  for different systems of medicines under a single window.

- ii. ICMR and Ministry of Ayush through CCRAS have jointly undertaken a major initiative to  establish  Ayush-ICMR  Advanced  Centres  for  Integrative  Health  Research  (AIACIHR) at selected All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS) i.e.., AIIMS Delhi, AIIMS  Jodhpur,  AIIMS  Nagpur  &  AIIMS  Rishikesh.  These  centres  have  been established to develop high-quality evidence in priority disease areas and create robust models for integrative healthcare.
- iii. Ayush  Vertical  under  DGHS,  in  collaboration  with  the  National  Tobacco  Control Programme has developed operational guidelines for establishing Tobacco Cessation Centres  (TCCs)  which  were  launched  on  9th  October  2025.  These  Ayush-based guidelines  are  intended  for  implementation  across  all  Ayush  medical  colleges  and institutions,  with  a  view  to  promote  a  holistic  and  integrative  approach  to  tobacco cessation. The services proposed under Ayush TCCs include behavioural interventions for cessation support, yoga, meditation and relaxation therapies for relapse prevention and herbal interventions to promote sustained recovery.
- iv. Operationalization and monitoring of integrative departments at Central Government hospitals of Lady Hardinge Medical College, Vardhman Mahavir Medical College & Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi. These departments provide preventive and therapeutic medical services including Panchakarma treatments.
- v. Under ABIHR (Ayurveda Biology Integrated Health Research) component of Ayurgyan Scheme,  a  Central  Sector  Scheme  implemented  by  Ministry  of  Ayush,  financial assistance is provided to eligible organisations for conducting integrated health research activities. One of the priority areas of this component includes integration of Ayush with modern medicine.
5. (d) The details  of  the  research  collaborations,  funding  allocations,  regulatory  reforms  and institutional  mechanisms  established  to  promote  evidence  generation  and  integrated healthcare delivery are as below:
- i. The Ayush Vertical under DGHS provides technical support to both Ministries (MoA &  MoH&FW)  in  developing  strategies  for  public  health,  healthcare,  Ayush education, and training.
- ii. The regulatory bodies under Ministry of Ayush namely the National Commission for Homoeopathy (NCH) & the National Commission for Indian System of Medicine (NCISM)  have  introduced  reforms  such  as  early  clinical  exposure,  electives, foundation and finishing programmes, and inclusion of subjects like pharmacology, psychology  and  yoga  to  promote  interdisciplinary  understanding    to  standardize education,  enhance  clinical  competency,  promote  evidence-based  research,  and integrate  modern  interdisciplinary  approaches  through  regulations  prescribing curriculum of undergraduate & postgraduate academic courses.
- iii. As  a  part  of  collaborations,  the  apex  Research  Councils  across  different Ayush streams are conducting collaborative research works with various modern Research Institutes of repute. The streamwise details are at Annexure-I
- iv. Under ABIHR component of Ayurgyan Scheme, 11 projects have been approved and fund to the tune of Rs. 5046.56 lakhs released to agencies/institutes for conducting research activities for drug development and evidence generation and under Centre of Excellence component of Ayurswasthya Yojana, total 28 projects were approved and fund to the tune of Rs. 114.15 Crore released to promote evidence generation and integrative health  care  delivery. The  list  of  projects  along  with  their  funding pattern is at Annexure-II.

************

## A) Ayurveda

In  field  of Ayurveda, All  India  Institute  of Ayurveda  (AIIA)  has  signed  Memorandum  of Understanding  (MoU) with  20  foreign  universities  and  institute  for  academic  and  research collaboration in Ayurveda.  AIIA has multi cornered research ecosystems including Postgraduate  and  doctoral  research. The  details  of  various  domestic  research  activities executed/ ongoing at AIIA are listed below.

Total studies undertaken: 85

International studies: 03

International collaboration: 01

Intra Mural Research: 29

Extra Mural Research: 16

IIT-Delhi: 07

Public Health Institute: 07

Industry sponsored: 02

CCRAS has signed 20 MoU/Letter of Intent (LoI)/Agreements with different countries/foreign Universities /Institutions/ organisations to promote international cooperation for the establishment of an Academic Chair. 4 MoUs are currently active in the field of Research and development in different countries.

## B) Siddha

In field of Siddha, Central Council for Research in Siddha has granted 115 Intra Mural Research (IMR) projects and out of this 31 IMR projects have been completed. The details are as below:

|   S. No. | Category of IMRProjects   |   Number of completed IMR Projects |   Number of ongoing IMR Projects |
|----------|---------------------------|------------------------------------|----------------------------------|
|        1 | Clinical Research         |                                  7 |                               18 |
|        2 | Pre-Clinical Research     |                                  9 |                               14 |
|        3 | Drug Standardization      |                                  6 |                               13 |
|        4 | Medicinal Plants          |                                  3 |                                7 |
|        5 | Literary research         |                                  6 |                               19 |

## Annexure-I

| Total   | 31   | 71   |
|---------|------|------|

CCRS has published 949 research articles in peer reviewed and indexed journals. One patent has been granted 'Process for the preparation of Pooneru used in the Siddha Medicine and there of' (Patent  No:  543375).  CCRS  along  with  Pharmacopoeia  Commission  for  Indian  Medicine  & Homoeopathy (PCIM&H) has published 7 Siddha Pharmacopoeial and Formulary works and recently  published,  The  Siddha  Formulary  of  India,  Part  III  (Tamil  version)  and  Siddha Formulary of India (SFI), Part- I (Revised Tamil Version). CCRS along with BIS (Bureau of Indian Standards) has been developing standards related to Siddha system of medicine and 14 standards are published.

## C) Unani

In field of Unani, CCRUM has published 484 Research papers in different Peer reviewed / indexed National / International Journals during last three years. The Council has established four  re-location  centres  at  Dr.  Ram  Manohar  Lohia  Hospital,  Dr.  Deen  Dayal  Upadhyay Hospital, Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi and J.J. Hospital at Mumbai.

## D) Homoeopathy

In  field  of  Homoeopathy,  CCRH  has  taken  an  initiative  to  link  Homoeopathy  along  with mainstream healthcare set-up by undertaking Public Health programme of National Programme for prevention & Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases & stroke (NPCDCS). This  programme  for  Homoeopathy,  was  implemented  since  Sept  2015  at  general  districts: Krishna district (Andhra Pradesh)- 09 centres and Darjeeling district (West Bengal)- 06 centres at first instance and further expanded to tribal districts: Sambalpur district (Odisha) - 03 centres and  Nashik  district  (Maharashtra)  -  02  centres  till  April  2021.  Another  Public  Health programme namely, Swasthya Rakshan program (SRP) was undertaken through 11 institutes adopting 55 villages under the Council providing health care at doorstep of local population.

National Institute of Homoeopathy has executed MoU  with National Institutes of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER) Kolkata, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur,  CCRH, New Delhi and  Employees'  State  Insurance  (ESI)  Hospital,  Ranchi  for research collaboration.

## E) Yoga and Naturopathy

In field of  Yoga and Naturopathy, CCRYN  promotes  evidence generation through collaborations  with  medical  colleges,  research  institutions  and  universities,  and  through funding of research projects in Yoga and Naturopathy.

The Council receives Government support for research infrastructure, fellowships and project grants, and follows established research governance mechanisms including Institutional Ethics Committees and scientific advisory review processes.

## The detail of funding is as below:

|   S.N. | Research Collaboration Institutes Under Clinical Research Collaboration (CRC) &Collaborating Centre for Mind-Body Intervention through Yoga (CCMBIY) Schemes   | Total Budget Allocation            |
|--------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------|
|      1 | Samskriti Foundation, Mysore, Karnataka                                                                                                                        | 1.3 cr. is given under the scheme. |
|      2 | AIIMS Delhi                                                                                                                                                    | 2.5 cr. is given under the scheme. |
|      3 | AIIMS Bhopal                                                                                                                                                   | 2.5 cr. is given under the scheme. |
|      4 | AIIMS Jodhpur                                                                                                                                                  | 2.5 cr. is given under the scheme. |
|      5 | AIIMS Raipur, Chhattisgarh                                                                                                                                     | 2.5 cr. is given under the scheme. |
|      6 | AIIMS, NCI, Jhajjar, Haryana                                                                                                                                   | 2.5 cr. is given under the scheme. |
|      7 | AIIMS Rishikesh, Uttarakhand                                                                                                                                   | 2.5 cr. is given under the scheme. |
|      8 | Post Graduate Institute Chandigarh                                                                                                                             | 2.5 cr. is given under the scheme. |
|      9 | S-Vyasa, Bengalore                                                                                                                                             | 2.5 cr. is given under the scheme. |
|     10 | National institute of mental health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS)                                                                                               | 2.5 cr. is given under the scheme. |
|     11 | AIIMS Bibinagar, Telangana                                                                                                                                     | 2.5 cr. is given under the scheme. |

## Project Title (Under Ayurgyan Scheme)

- 1 Development of drug master file and technical dossiers on selected single botanicals used in Ayurveda
- 2 Development of Technical dossier of Trigonella Foenum graecum - Stage I (preclinical studiesoral toxicity, genotoxicity, efficacy, Pharmacokinetic studies and safety pharmacology in rodents)
- 3 Development of Technical dossier of Zingiber Officinale- Stage I (preclinical studies- oral toxicity,  genotoxicity,  efficacy,  Pharmacokinetic  studies  and  safety  pharmacology  in rodents
- 4 Development of Technical dossier of Bacopa monnieri- Stage I (preclinical studies- oral toxicity,  genotoxicity,  efficacy,  Pharmacokinetic  studies  and  safety  pharmacology  in rodents)
- 5 Investigation of potential leads from  Ayurveda therapeutics for management of Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR)
- 6 Preclinical  Toxicological  Evaluation  and  Safety  Pharmacology  of  Selected  Ayurvedic Formulations Triphala churna, Lashunadi vati, and Brihat Vata Chintamani Rasa
- 7 Development of Technical dossier of Boswellia serrata- Stage I (preclinical studies- oral toxicity,  genotoxicity,  efficacy,  Pharmacokinetic  studies  and  safety  pharmacology  in rodents
- 8 Preclinical  Toxicological  Evaluation  and  Safety  Pharmacology  of  Selected  Ayurvedic Formulations - Laksha Guggulu, Dadimadi Ghrita and Ekangaveera Rasa
- 9 Development of Technical dossier of Withania somnifera - Stage I (preclinical studies- oral toxicity,  genotoxicity,  efficacy,  Pharmacokinetic  studies  and  safety  pharmacology  in rodents)
- 10 Preclinical Toxicological Evaluation and Safety Pharmacology of Rajah Pravartini Vati, Phala Ghrita and Drakshavaleha
- 11 Toxicological  Evaluation,  Safety  Assessment,  and  Metabolomic  Profiling  of  Selected Ayurvedic drugs and Formulations.

## Budgetary Allocation and expenditure (Ayugyan Scheme)

|   S. No. | Financial Year   |   Budget Expenditure (BE) |   Revised Expenditure (RE) |   Actual Expenditure (AE) (As on 12.02.2026) |
|----------|------------------|---------------------------|----------------------------|----------------------------------------------|
|        1 | 2021-22          |                       0   |                       8.45 |                                         4.49 |
|        2 | 2022-23          |                      15.5 |                      10.85 |                                         9.38 |
|        3 | 2023-24          |                       9   |                      15    |                                        14.99 |
|        4 | 2024-25          |                      49.5 |                      27    |                                        25.7  |
|        5 | 2025-26          |                      50   |                      37.81 |                                        37.61 |

## Project Name (Under Ayurswasthya Scheme)

- 1 CoE of Panchakarma and Upgradation of Pharmacy
- 2 Centre of Excellence in Research and Clinical Services for Madhumeha (Diabetes Mellitus)
- 3 Centre of Excellence for Care & Ayurvedic Management of Chronic Spine Disorder patients
- 4 Centre of Excellence for Yoga & Ayurveda
- 5 Centre of Excellence for Applied Development of Ayurveda Prakriti and Genomics
- 6 Centre of' Excellence in Sustainable Ayush for Advanced technological solutions, startup support and net zero sustainable solutions for Rasausadhies
- 7 Effects of Indian Foods and Ayurvedic drugs on healthy and diseases Liver
- 8 Centre of Excellence in Unani Medicine (Pharmacognosy / Pharmacology)
- 9 Functional-based CoE on Ayurveda and Systems Medicine
- 10 CoE in Ayurveda for Geriatric Health Care
- 11 Ilaj Bit Tadbeer (Regimental Therapy)
- 12 Centre of Excellence in Diabetes and Metabolic Disorders
- 13 Centre of Excellence in AYUSH Research under Ayurswasthya Yojana
- 14 SDM College of Naturopath and Yogic Science, Ujire, under Centre of Excellence (CoE) component of Ayurswasthya Yojana (erstwhile Centre of Excellence (CoE) Scheme)
- 15 Centre of Excellence in Yoga" at Swami Vivekananda Yoga Anusandhana Samsthana (SVYASA)
- 16 Setting up CoE in Cancer Research Arya Vaidya Sala, Kottakkal
- 17 AYUSH Center of Excellence, Center for Complementary and Integrative Health School of Health Sciences, Savitribai Phule Pune
- 18 Centre of Excellence for Discovery and Development of AYUSH Medicine for Cancer Care
- 19 Centre of Exellence in AYURTech for Integrative Precision Health and Medicine
- 20 Establishment of Centre of Excellence in Dravyaguna for Development of Database of Key Identification Features and DNA Bank of Authentic and Market Samples of Selected Plant Based Raw Materials used in AYUSH Medicines
- 21 CoE - Research Hospital for Rheumatology
- 22 Centre of Excellence in Medico-Historical Studies & Indian Medical Heritage (CoEMHS & IMH)
- 23 Establishing National Resource Centre on Ksharsutra Therapy, Department of Shalya Tantra, Institute of Medical Sciences / National Referral Centre for Teching, Research, Training and referral patients care on Ksharsutra under CoE
- 24 Centre of Excellence in Pharmaceutical Development and Standardization of Rasaushadhies used in Ayurveda
- 25 Centre of Excellence for Fundamental and Translational Research in Ayurveda
- 26 Establishment of Centre of Excellence of Renovation and Upgradation of Patanjali Ayurveda Hospital
- 27 Centre for Excellence for Advancing Homoeopathic Research in the Management of Metabolic Disorders
- 28 Centre of Excellence in Homeopathy for prevention of Disability

| Year    |   Budget allocation (In Crore) |   Actual Expenditure (In crores) | %of Expenditure   |
|---------|--------------------------------|----------------------------------|-------------------|
| 2021-22 |                          38.52 |                            35    | 90.86%            |
| 2022-23 |                          11    |                            10.95 | 99.54%            |
| 2023-24 |                          20.85 |                            20.83 | 99.90%            |
| 2024-25 |                          29    |                            20.62 | 71.10%            |
| 2025-26 |                          46.73 |                            46.66 | 99.85%            |