Rajya Sabha passes 'Institute of Teaching and Research in Ayurveda Bill 2020'

New Delhi: The Rajya Sabha passed the Institute of Teaching and Research in Ayurveda Bill 2020 on Wednesday, September 16.

The Ayurveda bill seeks to merge three institutes into one institution. It will be known as the Institute of Teaching and Research in Ayurveda, which will be situated in Jamnagar, Gujarat. It will be the first Ayurveda institution to be given the status of "institution of national importance."

The Union minister for health and family welfare Dr. Harsh Vardhan said in Rajya Sabha "The institution has been chosen in the most careful manner because it is the oldest Ayurveda center created by the government way back in 1956. This is the number one institution that deserves this status."

The institutes that will be merged include -- The Institute of Post Graduate Teaching and Research in Ayurveda, the Indian Institute of Ayurvedic Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Shree Gulabkunverba Ayurved Mahavidyalaya.

"In the past 20 years, students have come from 65 countries to learn in this institution. It has got international recognition in several fields and has helped in the growing popularity of Ayurveda. It will set a precedent for other institutions that may also be included to the list in the near future," Vardhan added.

The Bill was earlier passed in the Lok Sabha's budget session on March 19, 2020.

The union minister Dr Harsh Vardhan had presented the bill in Parliament on September 16 on the behalf of AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, and Homeopathy) Minister Shripad Yesso Naik.