The AYUSH sector in the country has witnessed an extraordinary growth trajectory, surging from USD 3 billion to USD 24 billion in just eight years, positioning the sector as a sunrise industry, , said Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha, Union Ayush Secretary here at the seventh CII AYUSH Conclave, organised recently by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) , a prominent business chamber.

Kotecha further emphasised that post Covid global acceptance and domestic demand for AYUSH products and services has increased. He stated that the Ministry is working with different organizations and ministries to strengthen the research and evidence building in the sector.

He said that the Ayush Ministry and ICMR has set up an Advanced Centre for Integrative Health Research across selected AIIMS in the country. “The Ministry is also collaborating with AIIMS to set up a Department of Integrative Medicine,” he said at the conclave themed “Emerging trends in AYUSH: Unleashing the market potential.”

He also talked about the Ayush Grid platform for digitization of service delivery across the six functional areas- health services, education, research, drug administration, medicinal plants, and capacity building and media outreach.

Dr Rabinarayan Acharya, Director General, Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS) mentioned that the Ministry will help develop three key botanicals while ensuring quality, safety, and efficacy by 2030.

Shashwat Goenka, Chairman, CII National Taskforce on AYUSH, and Director, PCBL Limited highlighted the concept of holistic well being given by AYUSH, a view endorsed by Dr Sanchit Sharma from AIMIL Pharma as he pointed out that the increasing demand for ayurveda products based on herbal formulations indicates the evolving preferences of consumers towards natural and traditional remedies. He also stressed on evidence-based scientific research on herbal formulations to compete in the global market and ensure holistic health to mankind.