The Regional Review Meeting of Northeastern (NERern) states was ceremonially inaugurated on 26th August, 2023. The event was graced by the presence of the Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways and Ayush, Sarbananda Sonowal, along with the Chief Minister of Assam, Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma. Health ministers from Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Mizoram, Sikkim, and Tripura, as well as senior officials from Meghalaya, Nagaland, and other states of the region, attended the ceremony.
The Union Minister of State for Ayush and Women & Child Development, Dr. Mahendrabhai Munjapara, and the Secretary of the Ministry of Ayush, Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha, were also present at the event. Union Ayush Minister Sarbananda Sonowal chaired the Regional Review Meeting of NERern states.
During the meeting, all participating states, including Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, and Tripura, presented detailed presentations on the state of Ayush and the progress of leading Ayush programs under implementation. Health Ministers from Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Mizoram, Sikkim, and Tripura actively participated in the brainstorming session.
Speaking on the occasion, Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal emphasized the growing importance and popularity of traditional systems of medicine in the Himalayan region and across the world. Sonowal called upon the NERern states to consider establishing Integrated Ayush Departments in their leading state hospitals, aligning with the initiative undertaken in 19 AIIMS institutions across the country. He highlighted the opportunity to lead a movement promoting integrated medicine, fostering economic growth, employment, and trade, particularly in the Himalayan region.
During the deliberations, Health Minister Alo Libang of Arunachal Pradesh revealed the state’s plans to establish a full-fledged Directorate of Ayush Healthcare Services to promote traditional medicine. Dr. Sapam Ranjan Singh, the Health Minister of Manipur, confirmed the proposal for a Special Panchakarma Centre in the middle of Loktak Lake. Dr. R Lalthangliana, Mizoram’s Health Minister, commended the benefits of traditional medicine and how initiatives like Ayush gram and Jan Arogya Samiti are popularizing the Ayush system of medicine in the state.
The Ministry of Ayush is actively supporting the efforts of State/UT Governments to implement various activities proposed through their respective State Annual Action Plans (SAAPs) via the Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) of the National Ayush Mission (NAM). NAM is the flagship scheme of the Ministry of Ayush, Government of India.
