AYUSH Ministry is Rich Enough for Expansion

Written by Meghna A Singhania Published On 2015-06-25T12:14:21+05:30 | Updated On 25 Jun 2015 12:14 PM IST

AYUSH Minister clarifies that there is no dearth of funds for states wanting to expand medical care facilities in this sector

Post their Yoga Day success; AYUSH ministry is all set to expand. The Ministry has asked all the states to submit their proposal, action plans and fund requirements for the expansion of AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy), said AYUSH Minister Shripad Y Naik at the inauguration of Rajasthan’s first Swasthya Kalayan Institute of Naturopathy and Yogic Science college here at Sitapura Industrial area.

The minister also stressed that the ministry has already raised the state’s fund allocation by 10% from 32 to 42 percent, and will try to meet every need of the state for expansion. "A few states have submitted their plans to the ministry. Whatever budget they (states) want, it would be tried to provide them as there is no dearth of funds," he said.

In the Union budget for this year (2015-16) the health sector has been allotted Rs 33,152 crore, while AYUSH has a budgetary support of Rs 1214 crore.

Meghna A Singhania

Meghna A Singhania is the founder and Editor-in-Chief at Medical Dialogues. An Economics graduate from Delhi University and a post graduate from London School of Economics and Political Science, her key research interest lies in health economics, and policy making in health and medical sector in the country. She is a member of the Association of Healthcare Journalists. She can be contacted at meghna@medicaldialogues.in. Contact no. 011-43720751