The First Ever International Conference on AYUSH and Wellness ‘Arogya 2017’ was inaugurated by the Minister of Commerce and Industry, Shri Suresh Prabhu and Minister of State for AYUSH, Shri Shripad Yesso Naik in New Delhi today. The three day exhibition cum conference is being held at Vigyan Bhawan from 4th to 7th December, 2017. ‘Arogya 2017’ has been jointly organized by Ministry of AYUSH and Ministry of Commerce and Industry of Government of India including Pharmexcil in partnership with FICCI to showcase the strength and scientific valuation of traditional system of medicine. Nearly 1500 delegates from India and 60 countries are participating in ‘Arogya 2017’.

Addressing the delegates, the Commerce and Industry Minister, Shri Suresh Prabhu said that ‘Arogya 2017’ is the first of its kind International Conference which has been organized in India. Through ‘Arogya 2017’, we have decided to share the traditional medicine knowledge of India with humanity across the world, the Minister explained. India, he said, however is not the only country with traditional medicine knowledge. Through this conference we also hope to learn from participants from other countries of the world and the Government of India will be very happy to work with all the countries in this sector, he said.

Minister of State for AYUSH, Shri Shripad Yesso Naik said that Ministry of AYUSH is trying to achieve comprehensive integration of AYUSH in the health services. Through the Ministry of AYUSH, we are not only promoting developmental activities of traditional medicine at National level but also looking at more international cooperation and collaboration opportunities at bilateral, multi lateral, regional and global levels. In this direction, declaration of 21st June as International Day of Yoga by the United Nations has generated global interest for yoga as well as lot of cooperation opportunities for exchange of Yoga information, expertise and qualified, certified and accredited trainers of Yoga. Similarly, through our collaboration agreement with WHO we intend to develop AYUSH technical guidelines and documents for the benefit of member countries, the Minister added. Shri Shripad Naik said that India has signed MoUs with some country Governments and also with International Universities for fostering cooperation in the area. We should build up the institutional mechanisms and the health systems with the evidence-based approaches, shared practical experiences and best practices of traditional medical systems, he added.

Secretary AYUSH, Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha said that India is perhaps the only country in the world with a separate ministry of traditional medicine which reflects government’s commitment towards development of AYUSH system of medicines. We hope to increase the size of AYUSH sector three fold over the next five years including products and services, the AYUSH Secretary said. It is for this reason that the Government is following a multi prong strategy including signing of MoUs and agreements with large number of countries, collaborative research and academic activities and offering international scholarship in AYUSH among others.

DG Pharmxcil, Mr. Udaya Bhaskar; Secretary General FICCI, Dr. Sanjaya Baru; Deputy Secretary General FICCI, Mr. Vinay Mathur; DG Gyan Bharti, A. Jaykumar; AYUSH Expert in WHO, Dr. G Geeta Krishnan; MD Sri Sri Tattva, Shri Arvind Varchaswi also highlighted the steps taken by India in promoting the AYUSH Sector at home and abroad.

‘Aroyga 2017’ is a comprehensive exhibition cum conference on Ayurveda, Yoga, Naturopathy, Unani, Siddhha, Sowa Rigpa, Homoeopathy and wellness. More than 250 manufacturers of alternative medicine are showcasing their products and services at International Arogya 2017. The mega event has brought key stakeholders of AYUSH sector together under one roof to showcase latest research and developments in alternative medicine systems of India and boost exports of AYUSH products.

A White Paper "AYUSH for the World" by Frost & Sullivan was launched at the event to offer a roadmap for AYUSH regulations and registration in ASEAN and BIMSTEC countries. It notes that India is the second largest exporter of Ayurvedic and alternate medicine to the world and has a potential to generate 3 million job opportunities. The Indian herbal market is valued at around Rs 5,000 crore currently, with an annual growth rate of 14%.
 

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