20 ayurvedic healthcare centres set up in 3 NE states

Guwahati: At least 20 ayurvedic healthcare centres have recently been set up in Assam, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh, Union Minister Sripad Naik said.

Union Minister of State for AYUSH Sripad Naik addressed a national workshop on activities and contribution of the Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS).

"The CCRAS has recently set up 20 ayurvedic healthcare centres in various parts of Assam, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh and these centres are contributing to the healthcare services in the remote districts of the NE region," he said.

The centre in Guwahati will soon start In-Patient Department services and Rs 1.5 crore has been sanctioned for the purpose, he said.

The CCRAS under the Ministry of AYUSH has been engaged in research and developmental activities in the North-Eastern states since 1971, the Minister said.

India has got a huge traditional medicinal heritage in the world and enjoys a special status in terms of an indigenous system of health care practices, Naik said.

He also inaugurated the new building of the Regional Ayurveda Research Institute for Gastro-Intestinal Disorder here.

Naik also urged the need to encourage farmers to cultivate more medicinal plants.